


Hux's Hang Up

by rudbeckia



Series: Hux and Mitaka get creative (with appearances by Kylo Ren) [23]
Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Anal Fingering, Hux discovers he has a kink, M/M, Mild Kink, Mitaka is a sex worker, Pre-TFA, Rimming, Rope Bondage, Shibari, Spanking, Things that vibrate, hitaka
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-21
Updated: 2018-04-09
Packaged: 2018-09-26 01:06:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 22,359
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9855287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rudbeckia/pseuds/rudbeckia
Summary: A young, ambitious officer in search of promotion accepts an undercover mission from Supreme Leader Snoke to assassinate and discredit a politically troublesome opponent. If he succeeds, he'll be promoted and might get away from that insufferable Kylo Ren. But the mission involves visiting an establishment with a certainreputationand Hux has his own judgmental hang-ups to deal with.Hux reached for his tunic first and pulled it on. The man watched. "You know," Hux tried smalltalk at last, "you're not what I expected at all. I didn't think places like this could be... I mean, I know these establishments aretoleratedbut I always thought people like you..." Hux saw the warning flush on the man's pallid cheeks, "...r clients were...""My clients, Mr Palaris, are people like you.""Well, yes. Apparently."





	1. Hanging Out

**Author's Note:**

> I added this fic to my kinktober 2017 series because I’m too lazy to write another shibari fic. It’s in almost the same universe in terms of Hux and Mitaka’s characterisation but the plot does not fit between the fics either side.

Hux paused to look up at the sign above the door. It was plain: black rounded lettering on a white background. Clinical, even. Certainly not what he expected for the kind of establishment he'd been led to believe thrived beyond that clean, white plastoid door. 

_The Hangout_

Hux shook his head. He should have brought backup, coming here alone was stupid, potentially dangerous. But who to bring! Phasma with her stunning physique and penchant for punishing men who thought her fair game? The strange boy-man, Kylo Ren, with his ludicrous layers of robes, wheezing through that silly mask? _Try to look inconspicuous,_ his orders had said. _Find the target, carry out the mission and get out._ Ren could make people forget him, overlook his leaden presence, but Hux did not trust that strange ability enough for fieldwork that did not finish with a littered battlefield. Ren, thought Hux, was blunt force trauma whereas he was surgery, a scalpel poised to excise a malignant tumour. He knew he'd been chosen for this mission because he could look ordinary and play his part with convincing mediocrity, yet he was not offended in the least. Quite the opposite. Hux basked in the understanding that he was the only one who could carry out this assassination and melt into the background as if he had never been there at all.

The door opened at a push and Hux walked inside. There was a reception desk, polished transparisteel and chrome, staffed by a well-dressed Rodian whose name badge declared her to be happy to help.  
"Good evening sir. Are you a member?"  
"No," Hux answered, "But I have an invitation from a friend who is." He made a show of patting pockets until he found the discreet card, nothing but a name handwritten next to a stylised drawing of intricately knotted cord surrounding a datachip. The Rodian scanned the card.  
"Thank you sir. May I see your identification and credit chip please?"  
Hux fumbled again and the receptionist smiled. "Thank you... Mr. Palaris. Is this your first visit to _The Hangout?"_  
Hux nodded and read the terms and conditions from the datapad the Rodian presented. He pressed his carefully-applied fake thumbprint to the _ACCEPT_ button and handed it back. The Rodian tapped and scrutinised the screen to confirm that the well-presented gentleman at her desk was indeed Haro Palaris, travelling businessman from Arkanis, with a large enough balance on his credit chip that he would not have to be escorted out before dawn devoured the evening. Not that any of the clients could tell what time of night or day it was in the carefully controlled environment of the club.  
"Thank you again, Mr Palaris. Would you like to be escorted downstairs and shown around?"  
The Rodian waited, appraising the man in front of her. Military, she thought, maybe no longer active. His hair and clothes were all wrong for his upright bearing, but not too ugly, for a human. "No? Very well. The bar is downstairs to your left. If you require anything at all, ask at the bar. Please do not approach any of our house doms directly."

Hux hoped he had hidden his momentary confusion. He knew this was a sex club, the businesslike exterior and professional-style vetting before entry lent it an air of respectability that would surely crumble once he was inside. His target, a creature of habit, would be here later this evening. Hux found the bar, looked around at the clientele and silently judged. 

_Perverts, all of them. Voyeurs and filthy-minded gropers and pathetic grabbers. Can't get their hooks into a real lover so they come here to find a fake. I should pity them but they are too disgusting. When I get my own way I will make a point of finding and obliterating all signs of such depravity and loose moral–_

Hux's inner monologue was shocked into silence and he almost dropped the expensive glass of cheap drink that found its way into his hand. A large screen at the far end of the room popped and fizzled into brightness. The barman topped up Hux's glass and laughed.  
"You're new here, right? I can always tell. If you see anything you like, let me know and I'll arrange it for you."  
Hux nodded, dumbstruck. On the screen, no sounds to drown out the soft music playing in the bar, he watched as two masked, black-clad figures got to work on their blindfolded client. By the time the man was suspended, caught in a web-like hammock of cords, Hux was half-hard and unable to look away. Beside him, the barman grinned and nudged his arm.  
"I think you like it? Yes? You want this service too?"  
Hux forced his eyes closed when the helpless, immobile _Pervert! Degenerate! Hux reminded himself,_ succumbed to the slaps and soft touches of his tormentors. The screen dimmed teasingly before the scene's inevitable conclusion then brightened on another. Hux whimpered audibly but the smirking barman had moved on to another potential source of profit. 

A scrape of chairs distracted Hux from the sight of another trussed up and suspended client's expression of joy, complicit in his own moral downfall, and eased his distress, bringing him back into sordid reality. It was his target and a couple of companions. Mok Blikka, diplomat and vocal opponent of the First Order. Supreme Leader Snoke decreed that his death was not enough, he had to be discredited, humiliated without chance of recovery. He could have been shot from a distance or killed in a transporter accident, mourned publicly and celebrated. No, he had to be disposed of in a way that would not result in any glowing review of what a model public servant he was. If Hux completed this mission successfully, Snoke had promised to look on his promotion with more favour. Perhaps his ridiculous plan to have _The Finalizer_ commanded jointly by himself and Snoke's boy, Kylo Ren, would be abandoned in favour of his sole authority. 

Nobody would talk about Blikka's death with anything other than disgusted amusement that such a mighty figure died of a heart attack in a brothel. The circumstances of his demise would overshadow all the achievements of his political career. It would be so easy. Hux pushed his hand through his hair to mess it up a little more, ordered a bottle of something expensive from the barman, poured himself a large glass, slipped the soluble vial containing beige powder into the bottle and watched the poison release, tasteless and invisible, into the straw-coloured wine. The man would not have to drink much.

Hux needed time and an alibi. He thought of the entertainment on the screen and called the barman over again. "You're right," said Hux, pointing at the screen and hating himself a little for the frisson that rode his spine. "I want... something like that."  
The barman flicked a glance at the screen. "Oh, he's quite new and very gentle. Good first choice. He'll look after you. I can set you up in..." he checked a datapad, "ten minutes?"  
"Perfect!" Hux swilled the contents of the bottle, picked up his glass and walked over to Blikka's table.

Blikka frowned up at Hux's smile and proffered handshake.  
"It is you, isn't it? Mok Blikka?" The frown turned quizzical at the Arkanian accent. "Sorry, I am being so rude. I admire the stand you have taken against remilitarisation of ex-empire planets. Please," Hux waved his bottle and set it on the table, label facing Blikka, and waved at the barman for more glasses. "have a drink with me?"  
Blikka looked at his companions, who shrugged. Not bodyguards then. Hux sat, sipped from his own glass then poured three careful measures. One heart attack in compromising circumstances would be laughably unfortunate. Three would be suspicious.  
"I heard you speak last week, on the holonet of course. Your policies are good for businesses like mine. I want to trade with... Oh you probably don't want to hear all the details, hmm? Here to, um," Hux gestured at the screen, "relax?"  
Blikka sipped his poison and smiled. "Thank you, mister...?"  
"Haro Palaris," Hux supplied, generously refilling only Blikka's glass when the barman tapped his shoulder and gestured. "Enjoy your evening." Hux stood to follow the barman's directions, knocking over the bottle, spilling the dregs over the floor and apologising for the mess as the barman sighed and mopped up.

Hux could have left then, slipped out after leaving the bar, he could have turned right and gone back up to street level and out. He told himself that he should stay. It was necessary, to leave now would invite suspicion, questions might be asked about the disappearing businessman from Arkanis. Besides, he needed to know that his mission had been successful and Blikka was no longer a threat. He _had_ to stay. It was his _duty_ to see this through. 

Left, down the passageway, third door. He was expected. A presence behind him made Hux stop and turn. A slim, dark-haired, pale-faced man smiled at him, tall but not as tall as himself. Human, at least. Hux looked down, up, down again, and swallowed. Black soft leather boots, tight black leggings, black short-sleeved tunic, a pink-lipped smile.  
"You're Haro, aren't you?" Hux nodded. "I will be looking after you. We have some things to discuss. Have you done this before? No? It's okay to be nervous."

The polite man ushered Hux into the designated room. It was not as Hux expected at all, instead of the ceiling hooks and ropes and black leather, a comfortable sofa and chair flanked a low table. To be truthful, Hux was not so much nervous now as irritated by the very suggestion that he might be apprehensive about whatever this young man, his lesser in every way, could possibly do. He would go through with the charade _for the sake of the mission_ and for no other reason. Hux perched on the sofa and the man sat neatly on the chair. 

"It will feel more natural next time. First time there are boundaries to establish. I'm surprised you chose me, actually, there are more experienced doms here if you want to wait for one?" Hux shook his head but did not speak for fear of snapping. Hux agreed to use a safeword, established that the man would do only whatever was agreed in advance, and the session would not be displayed on the screen in the bar.  
"Do you fuck your clients?" Hux almost spat the word out. The man gave a nervous laugh.  
"That is against house rules. As you have presumably read and signed."  
Hux nodded, unsure of his reaction to that response. The man had not _exactly_ said no, had he? "What do I call you?"  
"Hmm," the man leaned forward and raised his eyebrows, "what would you like to call me? And what should I call you? I can gag you if you like and that solves the problem."  
Hux laughed. Perhaps the drink he had thrown back for the sake of not drawing attention to himself had made him less cautious than he ought to be, or perhaps this (Hux had to admit) _quite attractive_ young man had charm. 

"Come on," the man stood and motioned for Hux to get up. He opened a door at the back of the comfortable little seating area and steered Hux into the dimly lit chamber behind. Hux looked around and felt the shiver again, down his back, a tickle at his groin, anticipation getting the better of him. "Ready?" Hux nodded and watched the man choose a length of cord. He smiled.  
"Green."  
"Oh good boy, general."

Hux silently obeyed an instruction to strip. He watched the man double the cord over to find the centre and bowed his head to allow the loop to be placed around his neck. Music played, something instrumental and ignorable. Smiling, absorbed in his work, the man knotted the cord a few times, testing the security of the knots and the size of the gaps between. Hux wondered if he should make smalltalk or if that would spoil the atmosphere. 

The man seemed to sense Hux's uncertain mood.  
"Close your eyes."  
Hux obeyed and felt the soft touch of a blindfold across his eyes followed by fingertips trailing the length of his torso from shoulders to hips. His skin prickled deliciously at the sensation and he let out a short groan.  
"Open your legs more... okay. Good."  
Hux felt the double cord pass between his legs, the two strands carefully positioned not to pinch. He shifted on his feet, knowing he was getting hard again. He startled at a slap on his ass.  
"Stand still. You're mine now and I'm not going to touch you if you can't follow orders."  
Another slap, harder, then a kneading hand over the stinging skin.  
"Show me that you can be a good boy, general."  
Hux felt the cords threaded under the loop at the back of his neck and pulled secure. The soft strands felt good against the skin between his legs and up his ass. He desperately wanted to be _good._  
"Arms up."

Time passed, but Hux was unsure how long it was before his arms were secured behind him and he felt the weight of his upper body cradled in the net woven just for him. Cords wove around his thighs and ankles, pulling him off his feet until he lay helplessly bound, hips higher than shoulders, on his back, legs parted wide. He let his head loll back and a hand supported it, stroking through his hair. Fingers stroked his cheeks, his jaw, his lips. Hux turned his head and opened his mouth, seeking contact, capturing two fingers and sucking hard.

A laugh. The voice changed, lower, deeper, implied threat behind each utterance.  
"Mmhmm, you're a forward little slut, aren't you? You want me to fuck you, don't you? You want me to tease you and use you for my own pleasure and leave you bound and begging." Hot words in his ear, "I bet you want my cock instead of those fingers, hmm?"  
Hux moaned around the fingers in his mouth and tried to nod his head. _Fuck_ he wanted that. He wanted this strangely changeable man to do _everything_ to him while he was powerless to stop it. He wanted to hear that voice tell him _all_ the foul, atrocious acts he could commit with Hux's body. He wanted...  
"AAAH!"  
Hux's mouth opened wide and his head fell back as a tickling in his nipple twisted into sharp pain. The voice, louder, told Hux he was getting what he deserved, he would have to hang there helpless while he was fucked at leisure in whichever way his master chose. Hux wanted nothing else. As soon as he was able to form a coherent word, he breathed out, _"GREEN!"_

"Louder!"  
"Green!"  
Hux heard footsteps move around him and the voice come from his right.  
"You disgust me, general. You think you deserve pleasure? Look at you, letting me do whatever I feel like doing with you." A hand ghosted over his cock and Hux struggled to meet the light pressure. The voice came closer to his ear again. "Do you want my cock?" Hux nodded. "Do you want me to fuck your face then bury my huge cock in your skinny arse?" Hux managed to moan out quietly, _yes, green, green,_ to the man's snigger. "That was not in our deal, general, and you are in no position to renegotiate."

Hux groaned in frustration. He felt his legs being moved, his knees and ankles repositioned and his torso rotated as ropes and pulleys worked to defy gravity. Face down, ass sticking out, knees pulled up and as far apart as they would comfortably go, Hux felt himself being rocked slowly one way then the other before a sudden double slap made him gasp. Warm, gentle hands soothed tingling skin then slapped again, hard.  
"That's for having the arrogance to think I might want to let you touch me. I'm not a slut like you, begging for a stranger's cock. You earned, hmm, five more for that."

A countdown came with each stinging slap: _five, four, three, two._ Instead of the last one, Hux was as ready for it as he could possibly be, muscles tensed and breath held, two hands caressed heat-reddened skin. Hux whimpered.  
"You took that so well, general. Perhaps you are not so bad after all. Would you like a reward? Hmm?"  
Hux blew out the breath he had been holding.  
_One!_

Warm pressure on his thigh, contact while the man walked a step away and back again. The feel of a clothed hip nudging his before the hand was removed. A rustle, a snap and a click. The hand returned, cooler now. Hux recalled that in the on-screen entertainment in the bar, the dom always wore gloves. That put the sounds into context and Hux twitched in anticipation. The man did not make him wait long. A cold, slick finger traced around his entrance and teased, pushing in, circling, pulling out. The man sighed.  
"Stars above, you're a pretty one. I almost _could_ be tempted, you know?"

Hux did see stars, the finger pushed in deeper and crooked, finding the sensitive knot he knew he shouldn't want to touch. He whimpered. The finger withdrew and he tried to follow it, desperately needing. Hands flat on his ass again, massaging, thumbs kneading closer and closer, rubbing over his hole.  
"Hey, relax. I promised to look after you. You deserve this now."  
Was that a kiss then a gentle bite on his hip? Hux forgot the ticklish sensation as soon as he felt a finger reinserted, circling and twisting, sending sparks through his core. He moaned without realising, losing himself in this fantasy.  
"Look at you," the quiet, gentle voice again, "my general being so good for me. You make me want to touch myself. I might dream about you later until I come. Maybe I'll imagine you here like this and me sliding into you, stretching you, filling you up. Hmm?"

Hux wondered if it was possible to come just from that teasing finger at his hole and that voice talking beautiful filth.  
"Maybe I'll think about your soft lips and your hot mouth. Imagine all the things you could do with that tongue of yours. Fuck, I'm hard for you right now."

Hux cried out, _"Do it! Fuck me! Do it!"_ but the man laughed and worked his fingers harder. Hux groaned, throwing his head back as far as he could and trying in vain to push back, to chase the feeling growing in his groin. The fingers sliding in and out of his hole slowed and stopped, the other slick gloved hand stroked across his balls and up his shaft, then both hands worked slowly until he begged for more, faster, harder, _please!_

He came hard, and not with the pillow-stifled moan he was used to on his own in his quarters. As soon as it was over, the nameless man held his head, reassured him, pulled him upright with the ropes and started cutting through his bonds, rubbing muscles to ease any lingering discomfort.  
"We're not done yet. Careful! Put your arm around my shoulders."  
Hux did as he was told. He sat heavily on the sofa in the outer room and allowed himself to be guided to lie on his side, curled up in a blanket, and to be fussed over. Gradually Hux came back into himself and sat up. The man smiled.  
"You did well for your first time."  
"Huh." Hux sipped the tea he had been offered.  
"You might get some aftereffects. There's a leaflet about it..." he looked around. "I'll go get you one. Don't move yet."

The man came back in a state considerably less calm than he had left.  
"We're closing early tonight, Mr Palaris. I'm so sorry but there has been an incident with one of our regulars."  
"Oh?" Hux tried not to look too interested, "what sort of incident?"  
"He had some undiagnosed heart condition. His dom couldn't resuscitate him. He died while she was... well I shouldn't say. Ugh, sorry I spoiled your visit. I'm going to quit. I've been thinking about it for a while... Ugh sorry again. you don't want to hear my sob story. Let me get your clothes."

Hux reached for the man's arm and caught it for a second. He paused and looked back warily at Hux, now upright and with the strangest expression on his face. Hux let go and spoke.  
"Did you mean all that? What you said about me? Or is that just something you tell all your clients to make them come back for more?"  
The man hesitated, Hux thought he looked embarrassed.  
"Well, yes and yes. I do find you, um, hot. But it would be unprofessional of me to, um... I'll just get your clothes."  
"But if you're quitting," Hux called after him, "does that matter?"  
The man was back, Hux's clothes neatly folded.  
"Makes no difference. I have another occupation in mind. Something quite different. I started this job to earn enough that I could study, but I graduated and I'm waiting to find out where my first real job will be. I don't think my superiors would look kindly on my, um, employment history."  
"Oh." Hux reached for his tunic first and pulled it on. The man watched. "You know," Hux tried smalltalk at last, "you're not what I expected at all. I didn't think places like this could be... I mean, I know these establishments are _tolerated_ but I always thought people like you..." Hux saw the warning flush on the man's pallid cheeks, "...r clients were..."  
"My clients, Mr Palaris, are people like you."  
"Well, yes. Apparently."  
"And if I don't like them, I turn them away."  
"Noted."  
Hux finished dressing and left, escorted out a fire escape into a rear alley by the man whose real name he had never asked. In that respect, Hux thought, at least they were similar. 

Leader Snoke was indeed pleased to have that particular thorn removed from his side. His chosen political representatives would have a short period of freedom before a successor would spring up, some young idealist with vague notions of a false freedom, to pass whatever legislation their worlds deemed necessary before remilitarisation could begin in plain sight. A few standard cycles after the news holochannels filled up with salacious reports of sordid affairs, Hux received notification that he was to report to _The Finalizer_ as its General, the youngest in the First Order. Unfortunately Snoke had not seen fit to promote him above that arrogant upstart Kylo Ren, but he had secured agreement that all operations directly involving the command crew and the final stages of construction of Starkiller Base would be his alone. Ren, said Snoke, had his own missions to accomplish and Hux should not interfere. 

Hux, in full dress uniform, stepped off his shuttle into a large hangar where neat ranks of uniformed officers waited to witness the short formal handover of command. Hux spied Phasma, resplendent in polished chrome and red, inspecting her rows and columns of stormtrooper squadron leaders, directing them to march back to their duties. Kylo Ren, looming silently by Hux's side, was a far less welcome presence. Only bridge crew waited for further introductions after the brief ceremony. Hux would learn their names, all of them, learn how to make them follow his command because they _wanted_ to, not because of mere rank. He walked down the line of colonels, majors and lieutenants, exchanging smart salutes and listening to their areas of expertise. Bored, Ren walked off without bothering to offer an excuse.

"Lieutenant Dopheld Mitaka _sir!_ Ops, command bridge, weapons and comms."  
The young officer saluted and Hux returned the gesture. Frowning, heart rate elevating and stomach fizzing, face heating, Hux stood directly in front of the man.  
"What did you say your name was?"  
"D-dopheld M-mi-mitaka," the red-faced officer repeated without daring to raise his eyes, _"sir."_  
Hux reveled in the officer's embarrassment. It calmed his fear and left Hux struggling to keep his face from betraying his excitement. He allowed a smile to quirk only one corner of his mouth.  
"Well, Mitaka. I should visit your station later and you can show me the ropes."  
"Yessir!" The lieutenant seemed to have regained confidence. "I would be delighted to, _General!"_

The general moved down the long line of officers. Kylo Ren lurked at the exit from the hangar.  
"The Supreme Leader requests that we discuss logistics for the mission to support our outer rim mining operations. I require transport to Jakku for a personal assignment."  
Hux sighed. "Leave the logistics to me. There is nothing of interest on that junkyard-sandpit of a planet and I can't possibly make time to discuss any personal assignments of yours today." He smiled. "I expect I will be tied up all evening."


	2. Suspended

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mitaka can feel Hux's proximity like a Hoojib senses danger. Hux rests a hand lightly on Mitaka's shoulder and it is all Mitaka can do to prevent himself from revealing all his misgivings.
> 
> _What if he changes his mind? What if he tires of this game? What if someone finds out? What if I am put in a position where I know more than I should and he..._
> 
> Hux squeezes once, gently and something in Mitaka clicks into place. He pulls himself straight and glares at his general.  
>  "Then in this room you do as I say. Do we have an understanding, _general?"_  
> 

It's his first bridge ops post. It's what he trained for, the reason he earned credits to put him through the Academy's satellite school in his home system. It has taken years of hard work and late nights, digging debts he has only just repaid with tainted earnings from _The Hangout,_ and it is about to be over before it begins. Mitaka sweats in his stiff new uniform as the unmistakable red-haired General slowly moves down the line of officers towards his lowly position near the end. His grades earned him early promotion to lieutenant and, thinks Mitaka in a state of terrified misery, that is exactly as far as he is ever going to get. He thinks it probably serves him right to get found out.

 _I know his type, anything goes as long as nobody knows. Just like the officers at the Academy._

Mitaka's inner monologue fails to console him while waiting for humiliation and a publicly dishonourable exit from the First Order. His pulse races and his cheeks burn. With effort, Mitaka keeps his voice from leaping into a terrified squeak as he salutes and introduces himself. 

_The general looks bored!_

Mitaka risks laughing in nervous relief but stifles it. 

_He doesn't recognise me! Why would he. This is the last place he'd expect to find a... Oh, oh no, no no no. He knows._

Mitaka raises his brown eyes to meet the pale grey-green of his general's gaze. 

_He's smiling. Oh stars, oh shit, this is it. He's going to yell it out at everyone and laugh, "Look here at this disgusting perv! The whore thinks he can serve under me after he's had his fingers–" WHAT! Did he just... Did he say show him the ropes? Is he teasing me?_

Mitaka takes a gamble. His military future, however short it might be, depends on the General's reaction to _his_ reaction to... Ugh. He has to get the intonation just right or... Sith, this is awkward. Mitaka takes a deep breath.

"I would be delighted to, _general."_

Hux moves on and Mitaka's head spins. He is not entirely sure what just happened.

General Hux departs with Kylo Ren and Captain Phasma, Mitaka marches out with the other officers when ordered back to duty by the alpha shift colonel, and calms down gradually during the rest of his shift. He remains at post during beta shift too, equally hoping for and dreading the appearance of the General on the bridge. When it happens it is as mundane as it could possibly be. Long after Mitaka has stopped stealing furtive glances every time bootsteps pass above him on the observation walkway, the General's clipped tones waft past his ears and onwards. Something about improvements to the something-or-other. Not a matter that would involve Mitaka directly. He sighs and his comm pips at him.

 _...What do you think of the new boss?_

It was Petty Officer Thanisson at the station behind him. They are assigned quarters together although the First Order does not approve of fraternisation between ranks and Thanisson is an enlisted man. But even on a _Resurgent class_ star destroyer space is at a premium and the barrack room that should have been Thanisson's home was already full. Thanisson jokes about being forced to move out because he snores and farts too much. Mitaka fields jokes about the apparent youth of his _live-in boyfriend_ and reinforces the jokes about nocturnal noisemaking. 

_He is a very capable leader and I look forward to serving under him._  
_...You suckup! You think he bothers to read all these trivial personal comms?_  
_I am sure he does not waste his time with idle chitchat. I merely stated my opinion._  
_...Fine. Give me your opinion of his ass then._  
_As comms officer I command you to stop wasting bandwidth on matters irrelevant to your post, or I will have to issue an official verbal reprimand._  
_...So you do like him. Fine, be like that. I'm not bring your caf tomorrow morning unless you apologise for being an on-duty dickslit._

Mitaka shoots a warning glare over his shoulder and his comm remains silent despite Thanisson's cheerful leer. 

It is later that night, if night even exists on a star destroyer, when Mitaka receives a summons to a meeting in one of the smaller conference rooms. He's early and the room is in darkness. The door slides open for him and he commands the lights to come on, harsh illumination on plasticrete and transparisteel. The room is boxy and unfurnished. 

"Will it suffice?"  
Mitaka startles and turns. General Hux stands just inside the door. He steps forward allowing the door to close automatically behind him. Mitaka merely nods, he doesn't trust his voice.  
"This is the most neutral room I could commandeer for personal use without raising suspicion. What, um, furnishings will you need?"  
Mitaka feels heat rise up his neck and flush his cheeks. The general isn't quite looking at him. _Is it possible the general is embarrassed?_ Mitaka wonders. He clears his throat and tests out his voice.  
"Um. A couch or camp cot. A loadbearing bar set into the ceiling. A drinks dispenser." It lets him down, pitch rising in panic by the end, "A first-aid kit!" Mitaka's fear bubbles up and overflows. He trembles as he hears words spill out from his own mouth. "Why did you not report me? Have me exposed and suspended?"  
General Hux laughs at that, a short bark. "Lieutenant, I rather think that is your job."

Hux puffs out a breath through his nose. He looks everywhere except at the fearful young officer by the wall.  
"Look, we can destroy one another or we can help one another. I suggest that we can come to some discreet and mutually beneficial arrangement."  
Mitaka nods. Hux has moved and stands close to him, Mitaka can feel Hux's proximity like a Hoojib senses danger. Hux rests a hand lightly on Mitaka's shoulder and it is all Mitaka can do to prevent himself from revealing all his misgivings. 

_What if he changes his mind? What if he tires of this game? What if someone finds out? What if I am put in a position where I know more than I should and he..._

Hux squeezes once, gently and something in Mitaka clicks into place. He pulls himself straight and glares at his general.  
"Then in this room you do as I say. Do we have an understanding, _general?"_  
Hux looks like the loth-cat that got the cream as he murmurs, _"Green."_.

It is some time before Mitaka hears from his general again. They play a game of professional distance on the bridge, each careful not to pay more attention to the other than is due. Even Thanisson gives up teasing Mitaka and moves on to feeding the mess-hall gossips tasty yet insubstantial tidbits about General Hux and Kylo Ren. It happens maybe ten cycles after that first meeting in the little room. An innocuous comm asks Mitaka to assess the progress of conference room delta-five and Mitaka feels a knot tighten in his gut, a thrill of fear or perhaps excitement. He has to wait until the end of beta shift then makes an excuse not to go directly to the mess-hall with Thanisson and the others. He makes up some almost-truth about wanting somewhere quiet to study the specs for the new cannon targeting array and fends off accusations of having a secret lover with friendly self-ridicule that he more than half believes.

The door has a security pad. Mitaka presses his palm to the panel and the door slides silently up. The lights come on automatically and Mitaka stares - the hard surfaces and harsh lighting are gone, replaced with a warm glow from behind translucent panels. The hard floor is softened by rugs made from the luxurious pelts of some cold-climate species, a comfortable looking couch is pushed against the far wall. Mitaka perches on the couch, slides back and breathes out. His head tilts onto the padded back of the couch, he looks up and smiles. The general has ordered a ceiling beam as requested, and additionally supplied a range of metal rings and sturdy hooks that hang like shiny pots and pans in a show kitchen. There's no drinks dispenser, but set into the wall by the couch is a small conservator and a water boiler. A cupboard opens with Mitaka's thumbprint and reveals that the general has been very thoughtful about preparation. He tests the texture of the coloured cords, takes one out to check its stretch and replaces it with a satisfied smile. The drawer below erases any doubt as to the room's intended purpose. Despite being alone, Mitaka pinks at the sight of gloves, lube and condoms.

He sends a comm in reply.  
_I assess the status of conference room delta-five to be outstanding. It awaits inspection at your leisure._

Hux replies with a time only. Mitaka checks his chrono, he has long enough to eat and use the 'fresher before his appointment with the general. He downs a synthsust pouch from the mess, makes his way back to his quarters, chooses a fresh undershirt and leggings and squeezes into the 'fresher unit. It is here that doubts resurface. His skin cleansed without the luxury of warm water, Mitaka wonders with considerable worry whether Hux intends to be his only client or if he will be expected to entertain others. He thinks of the mess-hall speculation about what horrors lie beneath Kylo Ren's robes and helmet, and of the grainy holos of the Supreme Leader, and he shudders.

Mitaka is prompt but Hux is early. The door slides open to reveal the general lounging on the couch. There should be a screen, Mitaka decides and says so. Hux sits up and agrees, it wouldn't do for some passing stormtrooper on a shortcut to catch a glimpse as the door opens and closes.  
"General," Mitaka sighs. "Or should I call you something else here? I had some... questions."  
Hux is all ears. He pats the cushion beside him. Mitaka would choose to sit opposite only there is no chair and no room, really, to place one. He perches awkwardly beside his general and half-turns without making eye contact.  
"Is this arrangement, um, _exclusive?_ Or, um..."

Hux leans closer. So much closer. Mitaka can feel warm breath tickle his cheek as Hux speaks quietly into his ear. "I do not share, Lieutenant. You are _my_ filthy little secret and if you invite anyone else here," Hux leans back and offers a cruel smile, "there is always a need for fresh officers to command raids on the pirates who disrupt our supply lines. I will not tolerate disloyalty in this matter." Mitaka floods with relief and it must show on his face because suddenly Hux's hand is on his arm and the general is laughing. "Oh! I understand. No, I do not intend to offer your unique services to another living being. This," Hux moved his hand to wave at the room, "this is mine and only mine."

Mitaka stands up so quickly his head spins and his vision greys. He clings to conciousness and recovers in a few seconds. He begins his act, holding the general's gaze with a sneer.  
"You are wrong, general. All of this, and you, belong to me."

The change in Hux's demeanour happens in a blink. The general somehow sags and waits for direction. Mitaka gives it.  
"Stand here. Take off your uniform."  
Hux complies without comment. Mitaka offers a soft _mm-hmm_ of approval and sits in his place.  
"Good boy. You have no rank here. You are nothing. Remove the rest then help me out of my uniform."  
Once naked, Hux steps the short distance to where Mitaka sits, kneels and eases off his boots. He stands, offers Mitaka a hand to help haul him to his feet and divests him efficiently of tunic and trousers. As a reward, Mitaka offers quiet praise and a hand gentle on the general's face. Hux leans in to the touch and Mitaka wonders if a kiss would be too much, so early in the scene. He takes Hux's hand instead, leads his general to the cupboard. 

"Open it and choose," orders Mitaka. Hux looks helpless, eyes pleading. He presses his thumb to the lock and it flashes red.  
"I can't," Hux explains, "I reset the lock only to open for you."  
Mitaka opens the cupboard and the drawer below. He knows he's asking for permission, consent they have omitted to discuss with words today.  
"Choose."  
Hux does.

Mitaka binds with care. He finds the centre of the cord and loops it over Hux's head, placing knots at intervals measures with an experienced eye. The general senses when Mitaka wants him to move this way or that and opens his legs or lifts his arms at a touch. Mitaka keeps up a stream of quiet praise for _such a good general._ Mitaka binds the general's arms secure and behind, adds cords comfortingly taut around thigh and ankle, careful to avoid pressure points. He takes his time, checking every knot and every potential pinch-point, testing circulation, talking softly to the general and listening for the tone of his response.

_"Look at you, so hard for me already. What have you done to deserve it? Hmm?"_

Hux offers an answer, a bland workaday success story and a plea for a reward. Mitaka knows not to disappoint with satisfaction at such a response.

_"Is that all? The First Order already rewards you with rank and power for such things. What have you done for me, something that will make me want to reward you?"_

The general's silence reveals the direction of his desire. Mitaka secures a cord to a loop on the general's upper back, threads it through one of the rings above through the loop again to make a kind of pulley. He pulls on the cord until he feels the general lift onto tiptoes.

_"You do not deserve to be rewarded by me. You insult me with your pathetic story."_

Another cord, another loop, this time on the general's lower back. When Mitaka pulls just a little, the general is lifted almost clear of the floor, bent slightly forward, toes barely tracing shapes in the pile of the rug below. Mitaka laughs with his best show of scorn and lowers the general's upper back until he is cradled facing the floor, legs dangling at a right angle.

_"You're ridiculous. Pathetic. How did a perverted slut like you ever think you could deserve a reward from me? You are mine and I say no reward yet."_

Mitaka delivers one sharp slap to the general's ass, prompting a sharp itake of breath and a low moan. Mitaka stifles a laugh of genuine amusement and indulges himself with another slap, allowing himself to imagine for an instant how it will feel to fuck Hux like this, hands on the general's hips and cock pushing into tight warmth. The thought makes him hard.

 _"I wonder how much you can take? Hmm? Another ten? Bear it without a sound and I will reward you."_

Mitaka counts back from ten, slapping then stroking and kneading, getting as far as three before the general hisses and groans. He blows gently over hot, reddened skin, leaning down to leave a sloppy kiss and a gentle bite on the sensitised flesh of one buttock. Another to match it on the other side prompts a sound so desperate that Mitaka almost caves in there and then. He wants this more than he realised but he knows the general did not come to him for a fast fuck. Mitaka steps away from the general, smirks when the general tries to swivel to follow him. He stands where Hux can turn his head to see him and removes his underclothes. He's a little nervous that when his cock springs free Hux will use his safe word and end this charade, but all that happens is that Hux stares up at Mitaka with his lips parted. Mitaka thinks, an invitation.

Mitaka steps close, but not close enough.  
_"I know you want this. Imagine how it would feel if everyone knew what a cock-hungry, feral little animal you are! What if they knew you thought you deserved to suck my cock just for doing your job?"_  
Hux bites his lip and raises his eyes from Mitaka's cock to his face. Mitaka looks back in affected disgust.  
_"You couldn't take your punishment this time. What am I supposed to do with you now? How can I reward you when there is nothing you can say that shows you deserve it?"_

Mitaka waits for the general's face to sag and his head to bow back towards the floor. He takes up another cord, fastening it to the loop in the binding around the general's left ankle and hauling his foot sideways and clear of the floor. He secures it to a hook in the wall then mirrors the action on the right with another cord. He kneels there between the general's feet, knees apart, knowing the general can see him. Mitaka strokes himself once, twice and sighs, breath ghosting over the general's balls. Hux squirms and twitches. Mitaka opens his mouth and pulls in one of Hux's balls then the other, suckling on each gently then releasing. Hux moans loudly and begs Mitaka to lower him until his mouth is within reach of Mitaka's cock. Mitaka files that image for another day.

_"You dare to tell me what to do, you insect? If you are such a useless, filthy, perverted, cockslut that you can't think of ANY reason you deserve a reward like that then I will have to make you watch while I touch myself and tell you what I might do to you for my pleasure, if you merited it."_

Mitaka steadies himself with one arm around Hux's thigh and takes his own cock in his other hand, thumbing over the head slowly and breathing a deliberate hot moan onto Hux's ass. The general tries to shift and can't, tries to rock back onto Mitaka's face. Mitaka sits back a little, giving his cock a leisurely, open-handed massage. He lets go of Hux's thigh and reaches for the lube and coats his hands. One hand returns to pay attention to his cock. The other, slick, traces up and down Hux's crack, pausing to circle the pucker and push a little into his entrance each time. Hux writhes and pushes back, desperate for deeper contact. Mitaka shakes his head.

_"I am still waiting for you to give me a reason why you deserve to be fucked until you come today."_

Mitaka sucks on Hux's balls again and drives his finger in deeper. Hux curses and begs. It's too much and Mitaka gives in.

_"I suppose I could reward you for this nice room you made for me. You put a lot of thought into it."_

Hux agrees enthusiastically as Mitaka scrambles to his feet, lowers the general's hips into comfortable reach and stands in front of him. The general lifts his head and waits, watching as Mitaka unrolls the condom Hux chose down his shaft. Mitaka supports the general's chin with one hand and takes a fistful of hair in the other. It is almost enough, the heat of Hux's mouth and the pressure of his tongue that Mitaka has so often imagined with Thanisson asleep in the other bunk. Mitaka pulls back after half a minute with a nervous laugh, breathing controlled, willing the exciting tingle in his groin to subside a little.

 _"Oh you're very good at that! Perhaps next time I will let you suck me until I come in your mouth but I have other plans today. I want to fuck you like this, make you come all over that nice rug with my cock deep in your ass. That's what you want isn't it?"_

Hux assents with a groan and a nod.

_"But I can't! You didn't finish your punishment. You owe me three more, you little cumstain."_

Mitaka giggles at Hux's frustrated wail and steps around behind him. He counts _three!_ and plants a vicious double-handed slap across Hux's backside that leaves his hands stinging, then leans down to kiss and bite the red marks. After _two!_ Mitaka licks around Hux's balls, playing his tongue along the thick seam of skin that leads to his crack, teasing his entrance with a pointed tongue and a finger. After _one!_ Mitaka slips two lubed fingers into Hux's entrance, making him squirm and cry out more in surprise than discomfort. Mitaka pushes and twists until Hux yells _greengreengreen!_ then stands close between Hux's thighs and guides his cock into that hot, tight entrance, glad that the general can't see his eyes flutter closed and his mouth open in longed-for delight. There is nothing Mitaka can do to prevent _fuck you're so beautiful_ escaping his lips with his next exhale.

Mitaka starts slow. Hux can't do anything and Mitaka senses his frustration at the lack of speed but this is Mitaka's reward too and he wants to make it last.  
_"You want a fast fuck?"_ Mitaka teases with three or four rapid, shallow thrusts that he knows Hux will find unsatisfying. Hux curses at him and Mitaka laughs, slowing down and adjusting his position until the sounds Hux makes confirm that he's sliding over the general's prostate with every slow push. Mitaka pushes in as deep as he can and leans forward over Hux's back as if for a rest. Hux tries to tilt his hips in encouragement. 

Mitaka laughs. _"You are such an impatient thing, you nasty little cockslut. You want this so bad. I bet you think about it when you're on the bridge, up on your walkway and I'm below at my station, oblivious to the depraved, filthy fantasy in your head. I bet you want me to push you over my console during delta shift when it's quiet, pull down your pants, hold you down and fuck you hard and fast while you listen out in case anyone comes."_ Mitaka starts his slow, deep thrusts again and sniggers. "Anyone apart from you, that is."

 _There! Aaah,_ Mitaka moans softly at the growing tingle in his groin that will burst into something electric in his brain. He raises the pace a little, chasing his climax carefully. Not too fast or it will all be over too quickly, not too slow or the feeling will dissipate. He wants to time this right, he wants to come with the feel of the general's helpless muscle spasms around him. A little faster now, hand on Hux's cock, stroking to the same tempo. Faster. Harder. Deeper. More. Now! Now! Now!

Mitaka feels as if the waves will never end. He's afraid of just how much he wants this, how badly he wants his red haired general to be his plaything. It's a new feeling for Mitaka, one that does not slink away when the mess is cleaned up and the cords are released and the client is curled up on the couch. Hux is still wearing about eight metres of soft, strong red cord tied in an elaborate pattern of loops and knots designed just to hold him. That will have to be cut or carefully untied. Mitaka hopes Hux is not in a hurry. The water heater beeps and Mitaka makes tea for them both. He rouses Hux with soft words of reassurance and a firm touch on his arm. Hux opens his eyes and pushes himself up to sit.

They do not speak for a while but sit side by side dinking tea, Mitaka almost laughs at how ridiculous it is, taking tea nude with one's superior officer. Hux looks calm, Mitaka thinks there is a soft look to him compared with when they met at the beginning of this session. He resists checking his chrono in case Hux is reminded that he should leave now. 

Tea finished, Mitaka sits forward and gestures at Hux to turn. "Let me untie you."  
But Hux shakes his head and smiles. "Not yet." Mitaka feels the full force of Hux's blue-green gaze then Hux blinks and looks away. 

"I think I will keep it on under my uniform for now. Next time I am on the bridge, I want you to see me up there, know that I am wearing your cord, and wonder just exactly what I am thinking about when I stand above your station and stare through the forward viewport."


	3. Bubbles?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I really want to write these two some feels. In the meantime, have some Hitaka drabble-100 cuteness prompted by tokyotheglaive over on that tumblr place.
> 
> Tokyotheglaive wrote this wonderful fic: [ here ](https://tokyotheglaive.tumblr.com/post/157711309354/mitaka-takes-a-bubble-bath-please-ooooh-sorry)
> 
> Yeah, we sent eaach other matching prompts. There's just something about Mitaka and bubbles.

Mitaka looked at the frothing tub with suspicion.  
"Sir?"

Hux smiled up from the bubbling water, biting back a laugh.  
"Get in. I promise you'll like this."

Mitaka undressed slowly, seeking reassurance from his general that he wasn't overstepping the mark, that he really was invited. Hux raised a hand above the roiling water and reached out to the nervous junior officer.

"Get in! that's an order, lieutenant!"

That sealed it. Mitaka stripped quickly and stepped into the water. It looked so inviting, but it felt... it felt...

Mitaka sank down beside Hux and groaned. It felt _good._


	4. Bound

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hux realised he was smiling at the thought of breathless Mitaka hurrying to be with him as soon as possible, cap slipping from his head, expression just on the edge of panic. He felt the hot prickle of embarrassment, shame at realising this disgraceful betrayal by his usually scant emotions. Hux stood up, covered his face with both hands and tried to make the comforting but inappropriate image dissipate. He would stop this. He would leave right now. He would have Mitaka transferred to pirate patrols. He would–
> 
>  _ping!_  
>  Tap  
> Taptap  
>  _You wasted my time and you will be punished. Be ready for me._
> 
> –stay.
> 
> \--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hux returned to his quarters to use his personal sanisteam. He undressed, a growing feeling of shame and embarrassment flushing his cheeks. He did not want to see himself like this, trussed up like some roast-ready fowl. Hux retrieved the vibroblade he kept near his bed and sliced through the intricate web of cord that so recently felt secure, supportive. He would not show the nervous lieutenant such weakness again. Sith and stars! He had wanted to kiss the man.

The general gathered the ragged remnants of red cord and disposed of them down the waste chute. It had to end.

A warm sanisteam rinsed away Hux's concern with his sweat. As he scrubbed himself pink, he decided that he was easily up to the challenge of resisting the formation of an emotional attachment to the hot young officer. _It's just a thing I like, and he likes it too,_ Hux mused as he smoothed down the front of his fresh tunic and fastened his belt with a snap. _A convenience. I deserve to be able to unwind from time to time._

By the time General Hux marched onto the bridge, he was convinced of the necessity of his calm mind and dispassionate manner, and therefore of the essential existence of the small, sound-dampened conference room he'd claimed for personal use. _Occasional_ personal use. As he walked across the observation platform he deliberately stared ahead at the triangular viewports and did not spare a second glance downwards to where Mitaka blushed at the weapons console. 

Over the next few cycles, Hux first avoided Mitaka then found reasons why he ought to be present on the bridge during Mitaka's shifts. Perhaps a random inspection or some tactical display or other drill he should witness, or a report on crew efficiency that would be best delivered in person with praise dealt out in small measures to the deserving. During these visits, Hux would pretend not to see Mitaka, convince himself that he was not wondering if his young lieutenant's eyes tracked his movements back and forth across the walkway, not tempted to order Mitaka off on some errand then follow him out and–

Ridiculous even to entertain the fantasy.

Twenty cycles, Hux decided. He would ration his use of the room to once in twenty cycles. That counted as _occasional,_ didn't it? He had other outlets after all: he could train in the gymnasium, throwing hefty punches and solid kicks at a bean-filled leather dummy, or he could run on a treadmill whilst watching First Order motivational holovids, or he could watch the progress of the stormtroopers he'd chosen as children and see them training to be efficient killing machines under Phasma's command.

Ten cycles was also _occasional,_ wasn't it? He had _occasional_ briefings with Leader Snoke around every ten cycles when times were quiet like this, their forces waiting, growing in strength. But it had only been six cycles. Was that too soon? It hardly mattered. Some verbal altercation with Kylo Ren put Hux in foul humour. He felt taut enough to snap and the gymnasium was out of bounds for a re-fit. That was Kylo Ren's fault too. The manchild really was insufferable. Hux paused before sending his summons to Mitaka, told himself he was being weak, then sent it anyway. 

He felt better almost immediately.

Later, too much later, after meetings and admin work and budgets and another disagreement with Snoke's puppy, Hux entered the small room. Mitaka, thought Hux in a fit of irritation, ought to be here waiting for him. After all, the General was the client and Mitaka was the one performing a service. Hux felt the room's emptiness in his core. He sat on the sofa for a few minutes, checked his comms, remained disappointed by the lack of apologetic messages from his lieutenant, then let his eyes rove the room.

A flimsi, stuck to the conservator door. Hux stood to read it.  
_You made me wait._

Hux cursed and clenched his fists until the pain from his fingernails gouging into his palms calmed him. He took a deep breath and sent Mitaka a terse message then sat staring at his datapad, willing the screen to brighten automatically and signal an incoming message. It stayed dull. He told himself that Mitaka would no doubt have been at some far point in the large ship, the other end of the officers' accommodation deck perhaps, and would have dropped everything to heed his general's call. _Yes,_ thought Hux, _Mitaka is probably on his way right now, marching as fast as he can without breaking into a run, all pink faced and–_

Hux realised he was smiling at the thought of breathless Mitaka hurrying to be with him as soon as possible, cap slipping from his head, expression just on the edge of panic. He felt the hot prickle of embarrassment, shame at realising this disgraceful betrayal by his usually scant emotions. Hux stood up, covered his face with both hands and tried to make the comforting but inappropriate image dissipate. He would stop this. He would leave right now. He would have Mitaka transferred to pirate patrols. He would–

 _ping!_  
Tap  
Taptap  
_You wasted my time and you will be punished. Be ready for me._

–stay.

Hux felt his stomach fluttering and his legs turn to elastic and jelly rather than bone and muscle and skin. He sat heavily, hands gripping knees, jaw clenched. 

_I should go, get up and walk away._

He closed his eyes, banished the vision of Mitaka painstakingly looping and tying brightly coloured cords across his pale skin, pushing away a thrill at the half-imagined, half-remembered touch of Mitaka's fingers softly tracing lines and circles on his exposed body. 

_Stars! Who does he think he is, the little–_

An imperfection in the plane of the wall caught Hux's attention and made him frown. He stood up to inspect it. The door of cupboard that could only be unlocked by Mitaka was barely ajar. Hux pried it open with fingertips. 

_What does he mean, "be ready"?_

Hux chose the gold coloured rope, trailing it out and doubling it over the way he had seen Mitaka do three times before, then laid it carefully across the sofa. He returned to the cupboard, opening the little drawer and fingering through the supplies inside. But he did not pick out anything for Mitaka to use. He was to be punished, not rewarded. Despite his growing _need_ , Hux reflected that he probably did not deserve the feeling of Mitaka sliding into him, stretching and filling, drowning him in the sensation of being fucked until there was nothing left in his head but–

_This will be the last time. I will tell him afterwards and get rid of all this shameful garbage._

Hux regarded the rope reverently laid out on the sofa and knelt on the floor. His feet tingled then numbed from the restricted position and his shoulders ached. When he heard the door open behind him and felt Mitaka's hand on his head, a wave of relief swept through him and he rested his head against Mitaka's thigh, eyes screwed shut and mouth forming a frustrated grimace. Mitaka would beat it out of him. Mitaka would make him pay for his weaknesses. And then Mitaka would–

A soft voice, not the calm, solid orders he expected.  
"General?"  
Hux felt Mitaka's hand slide through his hair, fingers caress his cheek and jaw. He sighed, leaning more heavily against Mitaka's legs. Mitaka patted his cheek.  
"Can you stand up for me, general?"

Hux struggled to his feet, hampered by numbness soon replaced with prickling as nerves regained their function. He lurched forward; Mitaka dropped the package he carried and caught him, arms firm around his back, and it was all Hux could do to stop himself from wrapping his own arms around Mitaka's shoulders and refusing to let go. Hux suddenly wished to be small, dwarfed by this slight but surprisingly strong man, held tight and comforted until he stopped fighting. More than ever, Hux fretted that in the heat of the moment he might say something stupid, something inappropriate, something deserving of scorn.

Mitaka guided Hux to sit on the sofa. Hux tutted and sighed, frowning at the gold cord, its careful drape and coils spoiled. Mitaka touched it, felt its texture through his fingers. Hux shook his head, shifting enough for Mitaka to pull the cord out from under him.  
"You don't want this one any more?"  
A silent head shake.  
"Oh. Shame, I think you would look good in gold. I'll put it away for another time. Oh?" Hux shook his head again. "No? Um... does the rope have to be special somehow? New?"  
A nod.  
"Are you sure you want this at all? You seem... tired?"

Hux glared up at Mitaka's concern.  
"What I want is a simple matter of relieving stress," he replied, aware of the lie and humiliated by it. The sooner Mitaka started on him the easier it would be to push soft thoughts from his mind. "I'm ready."  
Mitaka nodded once and discarded the sullied rope in the corner before choosing another. He held up the emerald green. Hux shrugged.  
"Well now, if you don't want to talk I may as well give you this too." Mitaka reached into the dropped package and held up a plastic-wrapped ball-gag in the same shade as the cord. He watched his general's face and smiled at Hux's pink flush and stare. "You want it?"  
A nod. Mitaka regained his businesslike manner.  
"We need a way of signalling if you want out. You can't use your safeword with this stopping your tongue." Mitaka produced a small metal orb. "Hold this in your hand. Drop it and we stop." He demonstrated, dropping the orb to the floor where the sudden deceleration triggered it to start chirping. Mitaka retrieved the orb and did something with his hands that Hux did not quite follow and the jarring sound ceased. 

Hux stood and held out his hand.

Mitaka led his general into the centre of the room. He unwrapped the gag and held the ball up to Hux's mouth. Hux accepted it, closing his eyes as Mitaka fastened the strap. Mitaka breathed out a soft laugh and returned to the cupboard. He came back with an emerald green velvet blindfold.  
"It's a shame you can't see how good you look in this colour." Mitaka fingered a strand of Hux's fire-red hair then stroked his cheek. He stood close, spoke quietly into Hux's ear. "I can hardly wait to see you all bound up for me to chastise and use as I see fit."

Hux felt fingers at the fastenings of his tunic. He moved at Mitaka's direction, raising arms and turning to allow his upper layers to be shrugged and peeled off, sitting on the pelt rugs so that Mitaka could remove boots and leggings. At Mitaka's command, he stood naked and waiting.

Mitaka took his time. Hux could hear him moving around the room, identified the sounds of Mitaka removing his own outer layers, the slight creak of the sofa perhaps a sign that Mitaka was removing his boots too. There were other sounds that Hux could not identify - rustling and tearing noises, the pop and crinkle perhaps of plastic packaging. Hux felt a tingle of excitement, knowing that Mitaka could move almost silently around him, the only clues to his location being the slight air currents when he passed close by or the sound of his breathing. Hux listened out but a _swish!_ and sudden sting on his backside made him call out a muffled cry of surprised alarm. 

A warm, soothing hand followed the blow. Mitaka stood beside him, kneading away the pain. Hux felt himself relax at the touch and Mitaka giggled. He felt Mitaka take his free hand and hold it palm up, felt an object touch his fingers and his palm. As the object was drawn slowly across his hand, Hux thought it felt frayed, or perhaps like long tassels. Mitaka lifted the object away and brought it down smartly on his palm. Hux felt the sting and snatched his hand away. 

"Do you remember the signal to stop?" Mitaka asked, trailing the end of the flogger up the general's arm, down his chest and stomach, teasing over his half-hard cock. Hux nodded, holding up the metal sphere, and Mitaka stepped away. When Mitaka returned and Hux felt the cord looped around the back of his neck, he realised with relief that the gag also stopped him from grinning like a fool.

Hux savoured every second of this ritual. Mitaka took his time, tying and testing and looping and pulling on the bonds to make sure they were secure but safe. He worked silently, methodically, Hux moved almost without needing direction. Soon Hux stood with a net of cord around his torso and hips, arms secured across his chest. He felt the ropes that would suspend him being looped and tied at his hips and upper back, felt Mitaka push his shoulders forward and down then adjust the pull of the ropes so that his upper body lay cradled in its net while his feet remained on the floor. Behind the green velvet, Hux closed his eyes and let out a sigh through his nose. When ordered, he demonstrated that he could still give the stop signal.

Mitaka crouched at the general's feet. Cold cuffs clipped on above his ankles, forcing his feet apart. Mitaka laughed when he struggled, and pulled on the ropes to raise his hips so that his toes only just touched the floor. Any more struggle, Hux soon ascertained, resulted in his legs swinging free and useless, without grip. Mitaka's hand on his back steadied him and more slight adjustments of the ropes left him suspended and helpless.

"Well, now that you are comfortable you can take your punishment. You made me wait for you, general. My time is important to me and you must learn that my time is important to you. I cannot be at your beck and call, to be summoned and ignored. I waited here and you did not come."

 _swisshh_ "Ten."

Hux cried out around the gag, testing its effectiveness. 

_swisshh_ "Nine."

He yelled again, louder, a bellow muted by the pliable ball in his mouth.

 _swisshh_ "Eight."

Hux was ready for it this time, a deep breath in through his nose let out in a wilfully violent scream, more rage than hurt, as if all the slights and hurdles of the past few days gathered up and escaped together.

_swisshh_

Hux yelled although no blow fell. Mitaka laughed derisively.  
"You think you can fool me into going soft on you, just by yelling and crying like the cock-starved slut you are? That was just the warm up. You want to shout and scream? Go ahead. Nobody will hear you."

Hux felt the flogger teasing over his balls, tickling the sensitive skin that led to his entrance and experienced a thrill of genuine fear. He wanted and dreaded this, he would have begged Mitaka to get on with it, hurt him, make him cry out until all his frustrations were spent. But he felt Mitaka's absence like a missing part of himself. Together like this, Hux sensed that they were almost one entity, two people but one scene to be completed. 

A hand on Hux's head signalled that Mitaka was back. He felt Mitaka beneath him, on the floor, stroking his stomach, his thighs, a cold, slick hand covering his half-hard cock. His cock wilted at the cold and Mitaka sniggered as he lubed his general's balls too. Hux felt Mitaka slip his balls through a stretchy band, pull his softened cock through another, pushing the ring snug at the base of his cock. A weight pulled at it, not uncomfortable, and he felt Mitaka's hand on his back once more.

 _SWISSHH_ "Seven."

Hux jerked his head back and bit down hard on the gag, moaning out around it with no pretence of play acting. That one had stung. A brief, welcome massage dissipated the pain.

 _SWISSHH_ "Six."  
_SWISSHH_ "Five."

One right after the other, left buttock and then right, one genuine yell, and Hux kept a tight grip of the metal ball in his hand. The pain was perfect. He wanted it to stop and he wanted it to last, it chased everything else from his mind. Right now, Hux knew he wanted two things: punishment followed by sweet relief. Two hands massaged his ass. Two thumbs played at his entrance. One hot, slick tongue circled and teased at his hole then vanished, replaced by cold as Mitaka blew out across his tight muscle. Hux moaned through his nose and tried to chase the sensation but Mitaka stepped back and laughed.

"Pathetic. Are you looking for a reward when you have not completed your punishment? You made me wait for you, so I will make you wait for me. You don't deserve my cock today."

 _SWISSHH_ "Four."  
_SWISSHH_ "Three."

Hux could hardly bear it, the pain layered on top of overstimulated, sensitised skin. His cock felt heavy, desperate for pressure and friction but Mitaka ignored it. Without the gag, Hux knew he would be begging shamelessly to be touched, fucked, anything. But all he could do was moan, bend his knees and make himself swing uselessly. 

"Stay still!" 

Mitaka barked the order at his general. Hux let his tiptoes return to the floor. He heard a _snap_ and cold trickled over his crack, something pulled at the rings around his cock and balls, a finger pushed and circled at his entrance, slipping in and out a few times in slow, shallow thrusts. Mitaka trailed the flogger across his general's ass while pushing and twisting two fingers into him, deep enough to tease but not deep enough for real pleasure. Then he was gone.

 _SWISSHH_ "Two."  
_SWISSHH_ "One."

Hux bellowed with as much force as he could, but Mitaka was there, soothing, praising. He felt something penetrate, not fingers, too cold. Smooth. Sliding into him easily and touching the spot that made him gasp. He heard a click and vibrations enveloped him, starting at the base of his cock, stimulating the sensitive skin of his perineum, conducted by the toy deep inside to his prostate. Hux felt stars in his brain, a deep tingle in his groin start to build and then–

Nothing. Hux moaned in frustration, cursed as best he could around the gag, tried to kick out, tried to shift his legs to make the toy move inside him. Mitaka laughed and ruffled his hair.

"Oh, general, it's not going to be so easy. You are going to have to wait."

Hux felt another brief buzz from the toy. He bucked uselessly in his harness, yelling stoppered curses helplessly at his tormentor. 

As soon as the third buzz terminated too soon, Hux dropped the orb he had been clutching desperately since Mitaka gave it to him. Immediately it began its chirping and Mitaka was at his head, removing the gag and blindfold, stroking and kissing his general's face. Hux felt his legs freed from their restraint and his feet, then his knees, touched the floor solidly as he was lowered. Mitaka knelt in front of Hux to free his arms next but Hux shook his head.

"No, I mean _green."_  
Mitaka, kneeling and leaning backwards to work at the knots holding his general's arms, stared into steel grey eyes. "What do you mean?"  
Hux let his arms dangle for a second or two, rubbed them then grabbed Mitaka and held him tightly. He growled into Mitaka's ear.  
"Turn that sithforsaken thing back on!"

Mitaka grinned and clicked a button on a controller clipped to his side. Hux's eyes closed and his head fell back as his back arched, still holding Mitaka and thrusting against him for friction. Mitaka let out a soft _aaah!_ as he felt a little of the vibration of the toy transferred to him. That was all the encouragement Hux needed. He moved his hands to Mitaka's ass and pulled their bodies flush, frotting shamelessly against his lieutenant until he came hard, spilling over Mitaka's vest and leggings. 

Mitaka clicked the toy off, allowed Hux to rest his forehead on his shoulder for half a minute, then continued freeing Hux from his cords. Last of all, Mitaka guided Hux to lean forwards and carefully removed the toy. Hux sat back on his heels, head down, eyes closed. Mitaka took his arm.  
"Come over to the couch. Lie down. I'll make you a warm drink."

Hux let Mitaka lead him the few steps across the room and wrap him in a blanket. He watched Mitaka start the little water heater, waited for Mitaka to turn round and patted the couch beside him. Mitaka sat, Hux curled his legs up and lay with his head in Mitaka's lap, a hand around Mitaka's knees. He giggled.  
"I like our new toy."  
Mitaka smiled and stroked Hux's hair. "I could tell."  
"Sorry about your underwear."  
Mitaka sighed and slouched back. "I'll have to start my next shift either underdressed or smelling of my general's cum."

Hux laughed and turned to face his lieutenant. He flicked a sly glance up to Mitaka's face, took in the closed eyes and slight smile. He slid his hand under Mitaka's vest to the waistband of his leggings. The lieutenant looked down at him, mouth half open, neck and cheeks flushing.  
"General? Um, what... Oh! Um, we shouldn't. You're still coming down and... Aah!"  
Hux removed his mouth from around the outline of Mitaka's bulging cock.  
"You want it, I want it, why not? In ten minutes we will leave this room and go back to normal duties except in a better mood. Either get up and get dressed now or get your cock out for me."

Mitaka sat stunned for five seconds then wriggled his hips out of his leggings. Hux retrieved the lube from the floor where it had been discarded earlier, knelt on the floor between Mitaka's knees, pulled the lieutenant forward until his ass barely rested on the seat, worked a finger into his entrance and took as much of his cock into his mouth as he could. Hux moved quickly, a hand at the base of Mitaka's cock, a finger crooking inside him, a thumb stroking his balls, his tongue swirling on each pull and push. It did not take long for Mitaka to twitch and stutter out a warning _g... gonna... sir!_ and Hux moved his head back to watch Mitaka come over his vest. 

Hux sipped tea and watched as Mitaka tidied the room, disposing of the used cords. Mitaka bagged the used gag and toy, looked down at himself, made a face and stripped off, adding his soiled underclothes to the bag. Mitaka put Hux's clothes neatly on the couch beside him.  
"Do you want me to stay and help you dress, sir?"  
"Don't call me 'sir' when you're naked."  
"Sorry, general." Mitaka shook out his trousers and slipped them on, making a face when he fastened them. "This feels odd but I don't have time to go back to my quarters. I will pick up the things for cleaning and sterilising later. Should I help you into your uniform?"  
"No," Hux sighed and frowned. "Um. Thank you."  
"My pleasure." Mitaka's voice was muffled by the half-on tunic that covered his head. "I suppose I will see you on the bridge later."  
"Lieutenant, this can't be a thing between us. You know that, don't you?"  
Mitaka's head popped out of the top of his tunic and he shrugged. "Of course not, sir. You are my general, I mean you are General Hux and I am effectively a replaceable nobody. Still, I admit that it is a nice fantasy. But," he added, seeing Hux's face cloud over, "only that. There is nothing between us outside of this room."

Hux nodded and dismissed Mitaka, he said it was better that they left separately and were not seen together. Mitaka agreed with a nod and left the room. Hux finished his tea and dressed quickly. It was fine, he assured himself. He could deal with this dispassionately. Mitaka was just a lieutenant with a particular skillset that Hux appreciated. He would not call on Mitaka's services for at least another ten cycles.

But later on the bridge, when Hux accidentally returned Mitaka's nervous glance, he couldn't help smiling.


	5. Undone

Mitaka is cold on the bridge. It's exciting at first, daring, the feel of the coarse fabric of his tunic and trousers against his skin, unshielded by soft vest and leggings. But he is shivering now and Thanisson has noticed. The youngster steps behind him to ask about some matter of protocol and surreptitiously shoves a hand under the hem of Mitaka's tunic. He sniggers and returns to his station with Mitaka's glare for company. A personal comm follows.

 _You left in a hurry. Tell me how you lost your underwear between the mess hall and the bridge. Is he handsome? Should I be jealous?_

Mitaka reads it and makes an obscene hand gesture behind his back. He pretends not to notice General Hux standing on the walkway near his console, all stiffly upright and proper. He shivers again and rubs his arms when Hux's back is turned but the grey-faced colonel notices.

"LIEUTENANT!"  
Mitaka snaps to attention. "Sir!"  
"Eyes and hands on your console at ALL TIMES! DO YOU UNDERSTAND!"  
"Yessir! Sorry sir."  
The colonel pulls a face at Hux and makes some snide comment about the youth of the First Order not knowing true discipline. Mitaka bites his lip to hold in the snigger. He daren't look up to see his general's face. A minute later his comm pings again.

_Oh. My. Flaming. Stars. It really is HIM isn't it? You and HIM! I'd heard rumours!_

Mitaka stares at his readouts whilst his face reddens and his stomach churns. His mind flicks back to those moments on the couch with his general's head in his lap and something reacts in his groin. Suddenly he's far too warm.

It's much later when Mitaka catches up with his bunkmate in the privacy afforded by a noisy mess hall. Mitaka leans forward over his dinner tray and Thanisson mirrors his movement. He speaks at a volume that will not carry into the hubbub beyond.  
"You better not say anything. If–"  
Thanisson is shaking his head and making placating gestures with his hands.  
"No! No, I'll tease you about it privately but there's no way I'd spread rumours about your affair. If _he_ found out I said anything... Ugh. I like my job and I want to keep it." The younger man looked left and right then moved in even closer. "So what's the old fart really like under all that bluster?"

Mitaka is confused for a moment because of the reputation General Hux has for calm stoicism and his relative youth, then laughs in relief. Thanisson is jumping to conclusions at light-speed and entirely off-course.  
"Oh the colonel?" Mitaka smiles and looks down. "He's a _complete_ perv. Likes dirty talk. Loves to be tied up and spanked."  
Thanisson almost chokes on his synthsust. Mitaka giggles until he hiccups and has to wipe his eyes. By the end of their meal, Thanisson has decided that Mitaka is a lying asshole.  
"You can just say you don't want to tell me. I'd understand," he whines. "You don't have to make stuff up."  
Mitaka apologises and escapes to their quarters to warm up under the rough blankets of his bunk. Thanisson has plans with the other petty officers, and promises to come to bed quietly. 

It is a couple of cycles later when Mitaka hears the rumour again. This time it is Unamo who catches his attention and glances repeatedly between himself and the grumpy colonel standing on the walkway. She's grinning at him. Mitaka rolls his eyes and shakes his head slowly in denial but later she marches with him along the narrow, grid-like passageways leading to the junior officers' quarters.  
"Are you dating above your station, lieutenant?" Unamo leans in and asks as Mitaka hurries on and she keeps up by his side. "I thought you and Thanisson would have a nice, comfortable arrangement by now. You don't need to court your superior officers."  
Mitaka stops and faces her angrily. "It's a rumour. I have no interest in the colonel. He's... Ugh. Not my type at all."  
Unamo shrugs. "Whatever you say, sir! Only I've heard it from a few sources. Not just Thanisson. You know that boy has a mouth as big as the Sarlacc Pit and twice as filthy."  
Mitaka's anger dissipates at Unamo's accurate assessment of his bunk-mate. He sighs. "I really hope it blows over soon. It's embarrassing."  
Unamo grins and pats his arm. "Mmhmm, I know. I bet the colonel is mortified to be associated with a lieutenant. He blushes and looks away whenever he sees you. He's probably thinking that if General Hux finds out he'll be demoted. Doph? Doph!"

But Mitaka is gone. He's suddenly afraid and bolts for safety. Not his quarters, no, he runs in the opposite direction and only slows when he is three corridors away. He uses a durasteel emergency staircase that clangs under his boots to access an upper deck and a few minutes later he's in his domain. It's clean and tidy and somehow comforting to be there. He sits back on the couch and hugs his arms around himself. If Hux thinks he's been seeing the colonel in secret then all this will end.

He doesn't know how long he spends making a decision. Every option seems flawed. Say nothing and ignore the rumours and if Hux finds out he will have to explain his lack of denial. Speak out too vociferously against the ridiculous, supposed secret liaison and risk offending the colonel he has to work with every shift. Firmly and sensitively insist that people stop speculating on his private life and he'll be teased for trying to hide a secret lover. Mitaka decides he needs advice, and he needs to show Hux that it is a foul lie. He sends a personal comm and sits with misery pulling at his chest, waiting for a response.

_I apologise for the intrusion, general. I request your attention at a location of your choice at your convenience._

Of course there is no immediate answer. General Hux is a busy, important man and cannot be expected to respond to a summons from a lieutenant, however carefully worded. Mitaka realises how exhausted he is, makes himself tea from the supplies he re-stocked only a couple of cycles ago and prepares for a long wait.

\-----

It's dark and his neck is uncomfortable. Mitaka only realises he's been asleep when the confusion fades and he sees Hux sitting at the other end of the couch, face illuminated in pale green from his datapad. Hux looks calm, frowns a little then his face clears as he taps at the screen. He turns and notices Mitaka watching him.  
"You wanted to talk to me?"  
Mitaka pushes himself out of his slouch and rubs at his neck.  
"Yes sir. Um. Sorry I fell asleep. You could have woken me."  
Hux sets the lights at a gentle twenty percent but even that makes Mitaka blink and groan. Hux smiles.  
"I have some time. I thought if I worked here no one would bother me for any trivial reason. What is so important that you ask me to meet you?"

Mitaka feels utterly wretched. Perhaps it is the disrupted sleep or the lack of food, or maybe just the worry that he is overstepping some implicit boundary by even thinking that Hux needs to know he's keeping his promise to be _exclusive_. But he feels compelled to say it.  
"It's about the rumours, sir."  
Hux raises an eyebrow. "I am not one for idle gossip, lieutenant. Is this not something you can deal with yourself?"  
Mitaka shifts in his seat but can't get comfortable. He stands instead and paces across the room and back.  
"Well, yes sir. But. Um. I worried that if you heard this rumour then you might think I was not following your rules."  
"My rules?" Hux looks surprised. "What rules?"  
Mitaka stops pacing and studies his feet. "That I am not to, um, _entertain_ anyone else. There's a rumour going around that I am, um, _seeing_ one of the colonels. It is important to me that you believe the rumour to be the ridiculous fabrication that it is."

Hux is silent for a few seconds. He puts his datapad down and stands up.  
"You called me here to tell me not to listen to gossip?"  
Mitaka feels his face heat up. "Well. Yes. Sorry sir. When you put it like that I see how stupid of me it was that I thought you might be angry if you overheard anything like that."  
Hux is in front of him now but Mitaka does not look up. He feels ashamed, embarrassed. Hux takes a breath and puffs it out through his nose.  
"If there are rumours about you that do not directly implicate me then it is entirely up to you to deal with it. Please do not involve me in a personal matter that is beyond my control again."  
"Yes sir, no sir, I mean I will deal with this. Myself. Sorry, sir."

Hux takes a step back and turns toward the door. But he stops and looks back with an upward quirk to his lips.  
"You know, this could be useful."  
"Sir?"  
"If everyone thinks you are involved with your colonel then they will not link your name with anyone else."  
Mitaka frowns. "Are you suggesting I play along?"  
But Hux is already leaving. Mitaka waits for a few minutes and leaves too.

Mitaka is surprised to receive a comm from Hux at the end of his next shift. He's not in the mood, Hux's lack of sympathy kept him awake until he simmered with frustrated anger at the dismissive treatment he'd received, and he's spent. He wants nothing more than to fall into his bunk and listen to Thanisson snore until exhaustion takes him. He considers ignoring the comm but a synthsust pack and a minute in the 'fresher make him feel stronger. He decides to risk telling Hux personally that it is spoiled and he wants out. He wonders if Hux thinks of their arrangement as anything more than a convenient way to deal with his own pressures. Maybe, he reasons, there is nothing, no _it_ to be _over_ and saying _no more_ will be easy. 

When he gets to the conference room, Mitaka pauses at the door and takes a deep breath. He almost knocks. The door opens at his request and he walks in cautiously. Hux is not here yet and Mitaka feels his absence as a slight. He turns to leave. Hux suddenly fills the doorway and Mitaka takes a step backwards, shaking his head. All the eloquence he imagined on his way here from his quarters has evaporated.

"Sir, I can't."

Hux nods.  
"I thought not. I asked you here so that I could apologise."  
Mitaka has no reply other than a confused stare so Hux elaborates.  
"Yesterday. You were upset, I was tired and hoping you had something more important to say to me. I may have been a little harsh because I was disappointed. I'm sorry."  
Mitaka feels his resolve drain. He looks at Hux and wonders if the general regrets their affair.  
"Oh."  
"Oh?" Hux pulls his lip between his teeth and looks away. "Well I said it so I suppose I have to wait to see if you will forgive me." He looks at Mitaka again. "Should I wait or go?"  
Mitaka is still struggling to interpret the general's meaning and Hux watches him. After a few seconds, Hux looks down and turns away.  
"I suppose silence is as good as an answer. I will have this room cleared tomorrow."  
Mitaka calls too late, _WAIT!_ But Hux is gone. Mitaka thinks he might stay and cry. It's what he needs, so he does.

Mitaka requests a shift change and Thanisson persuades everyone it's so that he can avoid the colonel.  
"Doph came back early from a secret date a couple of nights ago," Thanisson confides in Unamo just as he had confided in four other people already, "looking like he'd been crying. I asked him if he wanted to fuck it all away and for a second I thought he was going to say yes."  
Unamo laughs at Thanisson's hissed panic. "Scared he was calling your bluff, loverboy? I assumed you would have seduced him by now."  
Thanisson looks hurt. He huffs, "I have no intention of being anybody's fallback fuck."

Several cycles pass and although Mitaka hears of the general's activities and sees recorded, motivational holos, he manages to avoid seeing the man in person. Thanisson tells him that Unamo said that a stormtrooper mentioned that their squadron leader overheard Captain Phasma complain that General Hux had been particularly bad tempered lately and needed to get laid. Mitaka tells Thanisson to shut up and let him sleep. They are on opposing shifts now and sharing quarters is awkward. 

When Mitaka gets out of bed and checks his comms, he finds a call for volunteers for a mission away from _The Finalizer._ During a quick sonic he thinks they might want a weapons and comms expert. Over caf in the mess hall he decides it would look good on his service record. In the quiet periods of his shift he drafts his application and it is approved by the time he returns to his bunk. Thanisson is unimpressed, although once Mitaka emphasises the fact that he might have the room to himself for a few cycles, his bunkmate cheers up and asks if Doph minds if he has an overnight guest. Mitaka laughs and tells Thanisson that he better not come back from a dangerous mission to find Unamo in his bed. Thanisson winks and grins.

Mitaka's new orders are simple and sparse. He is to report to deck E room three at the end of his next shift. He spends gamma shift wondering what the mission will be, whether it will accelerate his promotion to major and who else might have volunteered. By the end of delta shift he has conjured up a fantasy whereby _Mitaka Singlehandedly Saves the Galaxy_ and earns the respect of his general. 

He knows it is ridiculous as he marches directly from the bridge to the meeting. It will be something mundane, a pick up or a drop off or some other glorified gofer role that needs a crew of bored officers who want a change of scenery and maybe some pirates to take pot-shots at. He pauses at the blank room door, smooths his tunic, adjusts his cap and puts his hand on the entry panel. The door slides open and he goes in. 

The door closes behind him. Mitaka gapes at the sight of what he thought would be a conference room. To his right, a small lounge area with a familiar-looking couch, a low transparisteel table and a holoprojector. In a recess to the left, a bistro table set for two and wall-projected scenes of cityscapes. Ahead, a tidy durasteel desk beside another door. There are pictures on the walls and something smells good. These are opulent quarters, surely reserved for visiting dignitaries. 

The other door opens and General Hux steps out. He offers a nervous smile. "Lieutenant, thank you for coming."  
Mitaka feels like his eyes are bulging and he blinks, looks away, looks back. He's seen the general nude and bound, but somehow this is a more intimate sight. Hux is not in his uniform - he is wearing a soft grey workout suit over a black vest. He's barefoot and his hair is free of its usual slicked-back style.  
"Um. Is there some-mm-mistake?" Mitaka asks. Hux shakes his head.  
"No. I didn't know how to invite you here. I couldn't ask directly in case you refused. I couldn't order you to meet me because that's..." Hux closes his eyes and shudders, "wrong. But I wanted to see you. If you leave I won't stop you. You can go back to synthsust and tell your bunkmate the mission is cancelled. Or..." Hux looks behind him at the door he entered through, "you can stay. Talk. Eat real food. Maybe..."

Hux raises an eyebrow at Mitaka. Mitaka sighs. _Talk, eat,_ he thinks, _fuck?_  
He says it out loud and Hux flushes and looks away.  
"No," Hux fiddles with his sleeves, clenching his fists around the thin fabric. "I didn't bring you here to seduce you. I wanted us to..." There is a pause and Hux stares at the fake cityscape.  
"Talk," supplies Mitaka. "Eat."  
"Understand each other," Hux decides. He catches Mitaka's eye. "At least stay and eat. Synthsust is perfect nutrition but it gets boring. I made something."  
Mitaka's jaw falls open than closes with a click of teeth. He inhales. It does smell good, spicy and savoury and rich. "You _cooked?"_  
Hux grins at that. "Oh yes, lieutenant. I'm the bastard offspring of the kitchen help. My origin has been an embarrassment from time to time but it has its merits. Please," Hux waves at the set table. "Stay. Indulge me as I serve you a meal I learned to make when I was only just tall enough to reach the stovetop, and _please_ take that hat off."

Mitaka slides the cap from his head. Hux points at the inner door.  
"Change if you want. There are a couple of spare regulation-issue physical training suits in the room on the right. Should fit you. Dinner might be messy, this dish is traditionally eaten with your hands."  
"Um?"  
"Please change clothes. I will be busy serving up dinner for the next ten minutes. You will feel more comfortable if you get out of your uniform." Hux turns and Mitaka can't see his knowing smile. "There's a sanisteam if you want."

Mitaka reaches the point at which he will compromise. He has not experienced the comfort of warm water on his skin for far too long and his resolve melts at the thought of jets massaging his skin. Hux seems to sense Mitaka's shift in mood and huffs a laugh through his nose. He opens the door and points.  
"Just there. Sanisteam is at the back. Spare clothes are on the rack. I'll be in the galley."

Mitaka wonders if this is Hux's quarters, in which case he is standing naked in his General's bedroom, or if his initial assumption that this a room for esteemed visitors was correct. It's hard to tell. The bed is wider than his own bunk although the blanket is the same, everything is tidy and there are no personal belongings visible except for a hanger with Hux's uniform on it. He thinks of his own bunkroom with Thanisson's personal effects _everywhere_ and his own few items neatly boxed. Mitaka realises that if this is the General's personal living space then perhaps they have something in common.

He sets the sanisteam for a standard programme and uses the regulation wash from the wall dispenser. The blast of warm air that dries him is the best thing he has felt since a grateful client offered him dinner and a night in a nice hotel if he'd pretend to be her partner to liven up a dull celebration with work colleagues. He smiles at the memory while he pulls on comfortable clothing and folds his uniform. There is no comb, so he does the best he can to smooth his fluffed-up hair. 

It is not enough. Hux laughs when Mitaka emerges into the main living area again and Mitaka can't help pointing out Hux's own stray locks falling over his eyes. For three seconds, Mitaka thinks they could be friends but he knows it is impossible, really. Hux holds one of the chairs out and Mitaka sits. The table is covered in small dishes, each with a different delicacy inside. Hux demonstrates, tearing off a ragged piece of flatbread and using it as a scoop to shovel something tangy into his mouth. Mitaka copies and Hux praises. The food is wonderful and he says so, letting Hux talk him through a single bite of each of the eight or nine dishes. After the last, Hux smiling and Mitaka's cheeks warmed from the spices (or perhaps from the accompanying wine), Hux slides his chair closer. He has a hesitant suggestion.

Mitaka agrees. He sits blindfolded, waiting. Hux feeds him a morsel and he has to guess which dish it was. He gets it wrong, the flavours confuse on his tongue and he asks for his drink. He feels the glass cold against his lip and he tries to grasp it himself but Hux removes the glass and blocks his hand, murmuring _let me._ Mitaka lowers his hand and takes a sip when the glass is returned. 

The second dish he guesses correctly, or so Hux says. And the third. After the fourth, he feels warm lips against his. Mitaka jerks away in surprise, pulling off the blindfold to see Hux has moved back and is watching him warily. Mitaka senses that they are both unsure of how to proceed so he tries to do what he knows. He fixes Hux with a glare that doesn't stick.  
"General, it is _my_ job to decide on rewards and punishments. Tonight..."

He can't play act tonight. Mitaka stands and tucks his chair neatly under the table. He salutes and turns before realising how absurd he must look, saluting in casual clothes with his hair out of place. He also remembers as he nears the door that he will have to double back to collect his uniform. He stops. He turns.  
"General. Um..."

Hux looks miserable and Mitaka frowns. Has he misinterpreted this stupid _mission?_ Hux walks over and strokes his hair, wraps both arms around his shoulders and pulls him close. Mitaka allows this out of indecision and insecurity. In Hux's arms he feels more sure of himself, he can believe that he is loved, however fleeting the fantasy. 

"I only wanted you to know that I'm yours," he tells his general. "That day in our room. I wasn't asking you to fix my problems. I was trying to tell you how important it is to me that you believe I wouldn't be with anyone else." Hux strokes Mitaka's back but does not reply. Tiredness, and relief at vocalising his thoughts at last, makes Mitaka more talkative. "I wanted to tell you I won't do it any more. I can't be the person who helps you get off when you're stressed. I need more than that or I need out and I can't stand feeling this way and I've hardly slept for thinking about how you speak to me like I'm insignificant and I'm tired of loving you when you don't love me and I want to turn it off. All of it."

This is when Mitaka pushes Hux away and turns his back, covers his face as if that will make Hux not see him. He wishes Hux would go, leave him to change back into uniform and get over it. He resolves silently not to get involved with anyone ever again. There's a hand on his shoulder and another at his wrist but Mitaka resists. 

Hux is in front of him. "Doph, look at me."  
He shakes hs head.  
"Doph, please. You have this all wrong."  
There are arms around him again and Mitaka leans in. He's tired, so tired that he capitulates and takes comfort from the touch. Hux responds when Mitaka leans against him, holds him tighter and kisses his face.  
"That last day in our room. I wanted... I hoped you were going to say you felt something for me. I misunderstood and I reacted badly. Doph, do you really need me to say it?"  
Mitaka feels a flash of anger and pride. He stands up straight, stiffly repelling Hux. "You are not obliged to say anything just to make me feel better, sir. I don't need anything from you other than time to get over this stupid infatuation I seem to have developed. Please leave me alone."

Hux all but facepalms. He shakes his head and rolls his eyes and yells. "I AM TRYING TO TELL YOU I WANT MORE TOO!" He takes a deep breath, gesticulating, not quite shouting, "Fine. There it is. You want me to gush about my feelings the way you do? I won't. I can't. I don't know how. I want you in my life but if you need _that_ then I can't give it to you. So either go get your things and leave and I won't try to see you again, or come and sit the kriff down and eat with me, talk to me."  
Mitaka takes a step forward now that Hux has given him space. He looks at the door, at the food on the table, at Hux. The general is red-faced, grey-eyed and looks upset. Mitaka swallows.  
"Eat. Talk. Um." He looks up at the ceiling. "Fuck?"

Hux loses it. He giggles until he cries, wiping his eyes with his hands and sleeves. Mitaka feels light, unreal, as if he's watching from above. He can't resist giggling too - perhaps he can blame the wine. Hux takes his arm and leads him back towards the bistro table, but Mitaka pulls towards the couch. 

It's different. Slower, certainly, but Mitaka knows it's not just that. There's playful touching that goes both ways and there's laughing at the absurdity of what they are doing to one another. There is a constant exchange of information about what feels good and what would feel _even better if you just...aaahh!_ The couch is too narrow. Hux tries to pick Mitaka up and carry him but stumbles on the lift and they end up sprawled on the floor. Mitaka scrambles to his feet and offers Hux his hand. They walk through to the bedroom, where they watch each other undress in serious silence.

Mitaka takes control gently and Hux lets him. He pushes Hux back until his calves touch the bed, then guides him to lie supine. Mitaka is on him in a fluid, predatory motion, murmuring sweet suggestions that make Hux catch his breath in anticipation. Mitaka keeps up the stream of suggestive filth for as long as he can bear it, and Hux wants it all so Mitaka chooses. 

Later they lie quiet, Mitaka's head on Hux's shoulder, Hux's arms around Mitaka. Mitaka can feel that Hux is getting bored, restless, the slight shifts in his position give him away.  
"I should go," Mitaka says sleepily. "Can I use the sanisteam again?"  
Hux extracts his arm from under Mitaka, rubs it and nods. "Whenever you want," he replies with a smile, "this is our room now. The door should open for you. Tell no one. I'll, um, have the loadbearing beam installed."  
"Mmm," Mitaka hauls himself upright. "Secret mission. Mission objective: get fucked."  
"Mission accomplished, I think. Very successful. I should write a report."  
"Tell me, sir," Mitaka sighs, "I can take it. Is this all just for sex?"  
Hux groans. "Doph, I like you. I like being with you. And I like what you do to me. Don't push me to say more."  
Mitaka smiles, leans down and kisses his general. He walks into the sanisteam and decides that Hux's answer is good enough for now.


	6. Addiction (or: How Mitaka Accidentally Got Caf Banned on The Finalizer)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "What's this piss?"  
> "Tea, sir."  
> "What are you smiling at? Bring me caf."  
> "No."  
> "What?"  
> "No, sir. I will not bring you caf."  
> It may be the bravest thing Lieutenant Dopheld Mitaka has ever said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Accidentally posted this to the wrong ao3 account as couple of days ago. Oops!

Mitaka watches his general covertly, head down, stealing occasional glances only when the colonel on bridge duty is busy elsewhere. Hux looks tired, dark smudges under his grey eyes, cheeks slack, head dropping forward and jerking up again so abruptly that Mitaka wonders how he keeps his cap on his head. He's distracted when his comm pings.

_...Bet you-know-who's been keeping him up all night._

Mitaka glares at Thanisson, who checks the location of their colonel then blows Mitaka a kiss. 

_...You've been home late the last few nights too! Got a secret delta shift lovenest?_

Mitaka shakes his head and replies while the colonel and his general are busy peering at the helm. A version of the truth seems the best option.

_Been studying for promotion. Don't want to be stationed next to you forever!_  
_...Got a good studybuddy? A senior officer?_

"LIEUTENANT!"  
"Yessir!" Mitaka leaps to attention.  
"Thanisson will take over your comm station. You are to assist the General with his queries about your latest weapons audit."  
"Yessir!"  
Mitaka snaps out a smart salute, transfers his codes to Thanisson and marches out in the wake of General Hux. 

Hux sets a pace that has Mitaka breathing deeply and warming up despite the perpetual chill of the corridors. He stays a couple of paces behind. It would not do for a lowly lieutenant to march side by side with General Hux. Besides, Mitaka thinks with a smirk, marching behind Hux has some advantages. He can, with slightly downcast eyes, admire. 

The general does not slow until they reach his private briefing room. Hux enters first. Mitaka takes his cap off in deference and enters second, then Hux closes the door and kisses him, walking him backwards a step so that his back bumps the wall. Hux murmurs into Mitaka's ear.  
"How long does it take to bring all the dorsal and ventral cannon up while preparing a hyperspace calculation and recharging the deflector arrays?"  
"About eight seconds, sir. Can be cut to six if it is possible to divert power temporarily from life support in an emergency."  
Hux rewards his student with another kiss.  
"How many turbolaser blasts would be sufficient to ensure destruction of a class three asteroid?"  
"I would recommend against using turbolasers, sir, I would recommend tracking of such objects from the sensor array and timely evasive manoeuvres to avoid fragmentation making the problem worse." Hux raises an eyebrow at that response and withholds reward. He steps back and waits. Mitaka looks left and right as if searching the air for another answer. "Um, ten?"  
"Failed!" Hux shakes his head. "You must answer the question asked with confidence. Ten might be enough The examiner won't know that any more than you do, they will be testing whether you crack under pressure and whether you can follow orders without question. So learn to dispense bantha-shit with confidence. How much..." Hux gives up his questioning with a yawn. "Excuse me." He taps the comm panel and orders caf. When it arrives he downs two cups in a few seconds and fills a third, gagging as he throws it back too.

Mitaka looks at Hux for a few seconds, takes in his pallor and his half-closed eyes, the dull look of his hair and the downturn of his lips.  
"Sir, that stuff can't be good for you. I've heard reports of side effects. You need sleep."  
"Please do not presume to tell me what's good for me, lieutenant." Hux glares at Mitaka but holding the expression is too much effort. He sits heavily in one of the plastoid molded chairs that surround the small conference table. He closes his eyes until he feels the stimulant's effects: his heart rate rises and he takes a deep breath.  
"How much reserve power must you maintain in order to fire at full capacity for nine seconds?"  
Mitaka smiles and salutes. "Fourteen point three percent, sir."  
Hux laughs and closes his eyes. "Oh _very_ well done, lieutenant."

Despite the caf, Hux nods and jerks again. He curses and stands.  
"This is all that oaf Kylo Ren's fault. He has disturbed me with ridiculous demands every night since he returned from Leader Snoke. I wonder if it is not a deliberate ploy to render me unfit for duty and usurp command of _The Finalizer_ so that he can use it for his own, personal witch hunt."  
Mitaka stands close to Hux and lays a hand on his arm. "Would it not be better to return to your quarters and get some sleep?"  
Hux barks out a bitter laugh. "No, he knows somehow. He knows when I am on the verge of peace and he comes to my quarters. I locked him out last night and he carved his way through the durasteel to rave at me about some temple on some backwater planet or other. I am so exhausted I can barely think."

Mitaka frowns at Hux for a moment. Hux puts his head on Mitaka's shoulder and his arms cling around Mitaka's waist and the lieutenant senses that the strong, confident general is breaking. He dares to make a suggestion. "Does he know about _our_ um, retreat?" Hux looks up, eyes so dulled that his incomprehension barely registers. Mitaka smiles and strokes Hux's lifeless hair. "Well, does he?"

"It hardly matters," replies Hux, "I should be on duty. If I am noticeably absent then Ren may attempt to take over. He may already have persuaded others that–"  
Mitaka steps back and holds Hux by both shoulders, staring aghast into his weary eyes. "General, are you telling me there's a plot to relieve you of command? There can't be! Your officers are loyal!"  
"I would not be surprised and I must be ready to act quickly when it happens." Hux straightens up and retrieves his cap from where it had fallen on the table. He closes his eyes, smooths his tunic and turns to the exit, lurching a little into Mitaka.  
"Please, general, rest," Mitaka pleads. "Just for an hour or so. I will tell no one where you are and I will alert you if I hear the slightest little thing out of order. All the ship comms pass through my station. I can set up a subroutine to monitor–"  
Hux grasps Mitaka's shoulders and grimaces into his open, concerned face.  
"Are you one of them? Would you see me relieved of command? Would you be as _accommodating_ of Kylo Ren's barbaric traits as you are of mine?"  
Mitaka steps back, eyebrows high and lips parted in shock.  
"No! No sir, never. I'm yours, I'm loyal, I swear it. Please, rest for an hour. Set an alarm or program a droid to wake you if you don't trust me."  
Hux opens his mouth but his words are lost as he crashes to the floor.

Mitaka knows only basic emergency aid. He checks for breathing, loosens clothing and manoeuvres Hux onto his side before sitting on an uncomfortable chair and pondering what to do. Normally he would inform the duty medic that an officer required attention but from Hux's strange behaviour he thinks this course of action may result in the general's irrational fear being realised. Fortunately Hux is only out for about a minute. He comes round slowly, groaning and cursing with a thick voice.  
"Don't try to get up yet, sir. You fainted."

Hux ignores advice and pushes himself up to sit. He retches once, prompting Mitaka to move back just in case.  
"My head is pounding. Doph, help me up."  
Mitaka does as he is asked and soon Hux falls back into a chair, sucking in a breath when the impact intensifies the pain in his skull.  
"Please, general, go to your quarters or to our room and rest."  
Mitaka sees in his face the instant Hux decides to give in. He stands, offers Hux a hand and helps him to his feet. At the door, Hux asks Mitaka to check he is presentable and to follow close behind in case he falls asleep on his feet before he reaches their sanctuary. Mitaka runs both hands over the back of Hux's tunic to smooth out the wrinkles and removes Hux's cap, stroking a stray strand of copper back into place before putting the cap back on Hux's head. He nods and steps back to let Hux open the door.

Hux marches. Mitaka wonders if he has any other gait but fails when he tries to imagine Hux strolling barefoot across a beach or meandering through a busy city. Mitaka thinks he'd like to see that, observe Hux off-duty, but he knows the general lives and breathes for the First Order. Hux dismisses Mitaka at the junction of the passageway that leads to the guest quarters. Mitaka watches covertly until the general is safely inside their refuge.

Mitaka faces questioning when he reenters the bridge to complete his shift. Yes, he confirms, the general was quite satisfied by the performance of his weapons array, only realising the deniable innuendo in the colonel's question after Thanisson almost chokes. Mitaka's face flushes pink and he keeps his head down for the remainder of his duty. Once relieved, he scurries out before Thanisson can start teasing and heads up to the guest quarters to check on the general.

The room opens and he steps into darkness relieved only by the pinpoints of coloured lights that signify the status of the systems that keep the quarters comfortable. Mitaka waits to let his eyes adjust enough that he can make out furniture and doorways. The rooms are quiet but for the sound of the electrical hum that pervades the entire ship and is tuned out by everyone who can stand to serve in space. No, Mitaka realises, there is another sound coming from somewhere to his right. He stifles a laugh when he realises that the general is snoring on the sofa.

"Nightlights on."  
A soft yellow glow suffuses the room from mid level, a luxury that Mitaka suspects even Hux's own quarters lacks although he has never been invited there to see for himself. He watches Hux for a few seconds, picks up the cap from where it has fallen on the floor near Hux's head and places it on the table. He thinks with a little guilt that he promised to wake Hux after an hour but now he has no intention of keeping that promise. Hux doesn't stir when Mitaka kneels to unfasten his belt and loosen his tunic. It is a bigger test of the depth of Hux's slumber when Mitaka tries to ease the tight boots from his feet, and Mitaka has to pause a few times to let Hux settle before he can set the boots neatly together on the floor. Mitaka goes into the bedroom, smiling at the memory of their last visit here, an evening too many cycles ago when Mitaka's efforts at learning the full extent of First Order communication protocols were hampered by the unexpected appearance of General Hux barely containing his rage at something or other Kylo Ren had done, and in dire need of an outlet. He'd struggled that time, wrestling against his bonds and screaming around his gag, but all the while clutching tight to the little accelerometer-activated alarm that took the place of safewords. Afterwards, Mitaka had carried Hux to bed, still secure in emerald green cords, untied him limb by limb with soft words that belied the litany of filth they carried. Mitaka shivered at the memory of Hux, calm and smiling, waking up from his usual post-scene nap and lazily stroking him to a teasingly slow climax, hardly breaking eye contact.

Mitaka abandons his plan to pull the blankets from the bed and cover Hux where he lies. Instead he pulls the covers back, shakes out the pillows and goes back to the main room to lift Hux gently from the sofa. The general's eyelids flutter and he mumbles something indistinct but does not wake enough to protest as Mitaka carries him into the bedroom and lays him on the mattress. Getting Hux's tunic and trousers off is not simple but eventually Mitaka has Hux's uniform safely on a hanger. He turns off the lights in the bedroom and retires to the main room to read.

_ Caf _  
_Common mild stimulant beverage prevalent in many cultures. Plant based, although the particular plant species varies with location of supply. Outlawed on eight planets but considered safe for general consumption in small quantities._  
_Benefits: heightened alertness, reduced fatigue, has been reported to aid memory and productivity in small doses._  
_Side Effects: in large doses can cause excessive sweating, nausea and dizziness. There are occasional reports of mood swings, migraine, confusion and paranoia resulting from long-term use. In extreme cases, can cause major organ failure._  
_Mildly addictive. Half-life in standard metabolism: 3 standard hours_

Mitaka frowns and once more evaluates the risk in calling, or not, for a medic. He checks on the sleeping general, checking his pulse and feeling his forehead, and decides that Hux is not going to die from his accidental overdose. Still, thinks Mitaka, it would be wise to remain and monitor the general's condition. Closely. To this end, Mitaka returns to the bedroom, undresses, uses the sanisteam and slips into bed beside Hux.

Hux wakes with a bleary curse and a groan. This is not so unusual, but his head feels dull and stuffed, his own mouth disgusts him and he is aware that his personal hygiene is poor. He has no idea what time it is, and he _really_ needs caf. Hux pushes himself to sit up and swings his legs over the edge of the bed. He stands, wobbles, steadies himself with a hand on the wall, and curses again, louder. He suppresses a satisfied smile when Mitaka appears carrying a cup. He takes a drink and makes a face.  
"What's this piss?"  
"Tea, sir."  
"What are you smiling at? Bring me caf."  
"No."  
"What?"  
"No, sir. I will not bring you caf."  
It may be the bravest thing Lieutenant Dopheld Mitaka has ever said.

Hux barges past Mitaka and into the tiny galley. He searches but the small tin of caf powder is gone. He whirls, scowling.  
"Lieutenant! This is pointless. I can go to the mess hall or order a droid to bring me caf."  
"Yes, sir. I thought of that so I..."  
Hux stares. "So. You. WHAT?"  
"I, um, added a subroutine to all service droids not to serve you caf. Including the ones in the mess halls." Hux trembles with something that might be rage and Mitaka takes two steps backwards. "Sir, please, just... just for one standard day. By that time the overdose should have been cleared from your system."  
"WHAT OVERDOSE?"

Mitaka explains at top velocity, citing evidence and observations with such conviction that Hux is left in little doubt that the man is right, although he remains displeased with the enforced lack of caf. He uses the sanisteam then throws on a robe and sips unsatisfying tea, sitting at the little table in the alcove with his datapad while Mitaka clucks around him. It briefly occurs to Hux that he could stand mornings like this more often and he says so, causing Mitaka's neck and cheeks to flush pink and earning him a soft kiss. Mitaka smiles but shakes his head.  
"You know it's against regulations and I think that's part of the attraction for you."  
Hux laughs at Mitaka for that. "You think I get off on breaking the rules?"  
Mitaka nods, serious. "I'm sure of it. Sir, you're expected in conference room alpha-four in thirty minutes for a progress briefing on the stormtrooper programme. Should I call a droid to fetch a fresh uniform for you before I go?"  
Hux nods once and returns attention to his datapad.

Mitaka stops at his quarters for fresh clothes and goes straight on duty. He calculates that Hux slept for nine uninterrupted hours. Not as much as he probably needed, but enough to deal with a little of the sleep deprivation that had been plaguing him. It is a quiet shift, _The Finalizer_ is travelling between isolated systems as a persuasive display of the might of The First Order, seeking information on the strength of feeling against the Republic, recruiting for the stormtrooper programme and leaving military governors in their wake. They meet little resistance. Mitaka and Thanisson meet Unamo later on in the bridge crew mess hall. Unamo looks irritated and Thanisson tries to tease the reason out of her in his own subtle way.  
"You fight with your shiny lover?"  
"Shut up. And I have no idea what you are referring to," Unamo shoots Thanisson a poisonous glare. "I asked for caf but the service droids informed me that there is none."  
"No caf?" Thanisson frowns and marches to the head of the line to interrogate the droid.

He returns with the colonel, looking perplexed. The colonel glares at Mitaka as he speaks, his supercilious tone grates even more than usual. "All caf supplies have been suspended until further notice, pending investigation into the potentially serious effects on health of long term exposure to low levels of alkaloids. Order came straight from the General himself." The colonel adds, in a low growl close to Mitaka, "I don't suppose you would happen to know anything about that, would you?"  
Mitaka stammers a denial and marches out as fast as he can without raising suspicion. He almost walks into Hux in the passageway leading back to the bridge. The corridor is quiet and Hux spares him a rare smile.  
"So, lieutenant, just what would you be prepared to do for a nice cup of caf?"


	7. Hurt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt fic: Hitaka & “why are you so nice to me?”
> 
> Time for a little post-TLJ hurt/comfort.

The back end of delta shift just before duty rolls across to the next set of bridge officers is among Mitaka’s favourite moments. He knows the constructs of ‘morning’ and ‘afternoon’ and ‘evening’ are false; the officer standing by his elbow waiting for orders likely thinks she’s starting her morning duty and relieving Mitaka’s nightshift when it’s Mitaka’s feeling that he’s ending a long dayshift. And they’re both right: different accommodation decks are programmed with complementary patterns of lighting and heating to simulate day and night. Every shift thinks they’re dayshift. He hands over the weapons console with a short briefing and calls up his duty log for his counterpart to scroll through when she has time, retrieves his code cylinder and slots it back into its place on his chest, salutes his commander and marches off duty.

Mitaka’s anticipation of an ‘evening’ of dinner followed by a little leisure time is heightened today. He has a date. At least he thinks it _might_ be a date. With a heavy feeling, Mitaka realises that it has been so long since his general’s last summons to the unassigned quarters they use for privacy that it is just as likely to be a terse _goodbye and remember your place_ talk. But a counter-thought makes Mitaka smile in the turbolift: if General Hux wanted to end things he’d do it via a transfer to another star destroyer and maybe a promotion to keep him quiet, and he’d be hurt but he’d get over it. 

Only a couple of mouse droids patrol the corridor when Mitaka enters his code and walks into the room. It feels familiar and strange all at once with its standard furniture but complicated tangle of associations with his general. He’s not here yet and Mitaka uses the opportunity to take advantage of the luxuriously sized sanisteam cabinet in the ‘fresher. As usual, he asks himself why he doesn’t use this suite’s comforts more often just for himself. As usual, he nurses a small fear that he might walk in on his general with another lover. As usual, he decides he’d rather not know.

Closing his eyes as the sanisteam programme begins, ears filling with the hiss of pressurised water jets, the gurgle of the water recycler beneath his feet and the steady thrum of the pump, Mitaka lets the small stresses of his day drain away. A draught on his shoulders tells him the door has been opened and the general slips in beside him.  
“I thought you might not come,” Hux says. “It’s been so long. We’ve been so... preoccupied with events.”  
Mitaka turns around to face Hux, a smile and reassurances ready on his lips, but the smile changes to a look of horror when he takes in the split lip, the purple bloom on his general’s neck, ribs and thigh.  
“Who did that to you!” Mitaka blurts the words out. “Have you been to medbay?” He sees his mistake in Hux’s face as the words sound amplified by the hard surfaces that surround them, but he can’t take his carelessness back. “Sorry,” he says quietly. Hux gives a tiny shrug, cradles his head and kisses his forehead. Mitaka wants to touch, to kiss and caress the bruising away, but he knows the pain that accompanies at least some of those injuries. Instead he reaches for the body wash dispenser and holds up a palmful. “Can I wash your hair?” he asks. Hux smiles and kneels, slowly, using Mitaka’s shoulders as a support while he bends.

Mitaka smooths the herb-scented gel onto both palms then rubs his hands over his general’s soaked hair and lathers it. Hux closes his eyes and leans his forehead against Mitaka’s stomach. Mitaka moves his fingers in small, firm circles the way he knows his general likes and he’s rewarded with an upturned face and a brief smile before Hux drops his head again and runs his hands up the backs of Mitaka’s legs. It’s difficult to concentrate on massaging Hux’s scalp when the general is so determined to distract him. Warm hands, slippery with soap, are circling on his backside and he’s nuzzling at the base of Mitaka’s cock. Eventually Mitaka giggles and gives in, rinses off Hux’s hair and watches as his general’s lips close around the head of his rapidly hardening cock. Before he closes his eyes and leans back against the cool of the tiled wall of the enclosure, he murmurs, “Why are you so nice to me?”

It’s over quickly but it’s exactly what Mitaka wanted. He almost doubles over, hyperventilating at the intensity of his climax, and he can’t stop grinning. Mitaka helps his general to stand up, tries to ignore his groans and pained expression, and offers, _“Want me to repay the favour?”_ But Hux shakes his head. They finish their shower and step out into the warmed, dry air of the bedroom. Mitaka towels off quickly then watches as his general tries to pat at his damp skin, making faces in preparation for drying off the bruised areas. His range of motion is compromised and Mitaka can almost see the thought that has to go into each reach of his arms and twist of his torso.  
“Let me do that for you,” Mitaka says, taking the towel from Hux. “I promise I’ll be careful.”  
Hux allows it. He stands as still as he can while Mitaka dries him, flinching when the slightest touch strokes his injured side. Mitaka sighs. “I could call a medidroid here if you don’t want to be seen in medbay. You might have broken ribs.”  
“It doesn’t matter,” Hux says. “Don’t mention it again.”

Mitaka calls the medidroid anyway and Hux doesn’t complain much after his initial bluster. He has three broken ribs and bruising severe enough that the medidroid suggests ten cycles of rest followed by a gentle programme of physical therapy. Hux accepts only painkillers and bacta spray and he insists that Mitaka administer both once the ‘droid has gone.

Later, lounging on the sofa with the smell of bacta still on his fingers, Mitaka strokes Hux’s damp, unstyled hair. Hux is nude, lying on his uninjured side, head on Mitaka’s thigh, empty ration pouches on the floor. Mitaka knows he’s got at most another ten minutes before his general gets up and struggles back into his uniform, slicks his hair and hides it under his cap. He knows that Hux will never answer the question he asked in the sanisteam earlier so he pretends he didn’t ask it at all.  
“I’ve missed you,” Mitaka says quietly.  
“Don’t talk daft,” says Hux, but he smiles.


	8. Not in love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hux makes a surprise confession and Mitaka does not react well. Hux is thrown into the unfamiliar position of having to provide comfort.
> 
> Prompt: "I think I'm in love with you, and that scares the crap out of me!" Hux to Mitaka

Mitaka tests the cords and rolls Hux over onto his front. He’s trussed up and can’t move much. All that’s left is for Mitaka to throw a few ropes over the ceiling bar and thread them through the loops he’s left and hoist his general to a convenient height.  
“Well, general?” he says, casually. “What do you have to say for yourself now?”  
Hux’s voice is low and fast, muffled by the soft rug under his face. "I think I'm in love with you, and that scares the crap out of me!"

“Red!”

Mitaka steps back from Hux, the syllable still hanging between them. He’s never used their safeword on Hux before. It has, until now, always been Mitaka setting their pace, pushing and checking that Hux is comfortable and enthusiastic in his consent.

Hux lies still, then wriggles a bit when he realises Mitaka has spaced out.  
“Oh!” There’s a rustle of clothing and a metallic click. “Sorry sir.”

He feels the cold metal of the blade Mitaka likes to use to cut through the knotted cords that bind him, only Mitaka’s working fast instead of taking his time with one strand at a time and massaging the skin underneath. Hux likes the slow ritual of it all: the way he sheds _General Hux_ with a shrug of his greatcoat and becomes this other being, Mitaka’s _general,_ to command, reward and punish as he sees fit. Hux craves it sometimes. In difficult meetings with High Command or with Supreme Leader Kylo Ren, he fights not to let his mind drift to the feeling of relief he gets when Mitaka orders him to undress, put on the blindfold and wait for judgment. It’s not just the sex—although being helplessly fucked by Mitaka is wonderful—because they don’t always indulge. It’s the feeling that he’s not alone, that someone cares for him, even just for a pre-arranged hour at a time.

When he’s free of the cords and blindfold, a robe tied securely around him, he faces Mitaka.  
“What happened?”  
Mitaka looks troubled. “Sir,” he says. “What you said. It took me by surprise. I had to stop.”  
“Ah.” Hux nods, walks to the sofa, sits down and looks away. “Well then, lieutenant, if I took seriously every word you said to me during a scene I’d be forced to have you tried and executed for gross insubordination. It’s tantamount to mutiny, really, to incapacitate your commanding officer in that way.”  
Hux looks up at Mitaka who still stands in the middle of their play area looking almost as miserable as he might if he’d just been ordered to deliver bad news to Kylo Ren. He gets up and walks over to put an arm around Mitaka’s shoulders.  
“You know I don’t mean that.” Hux speaks softly. “I value the time we spend together here very much.”

He leads Mitaka over to the sofa and they both sit. Mitaka looks like he might dissolve into a flood of tears at any second and Hux has no idea what to do about it. He knows that he is the cause of Mitaka’s distress, though, and he feels bad. It’s an unfamiliar thing for him, to feel the weight of responsibility for someone else’s happiness. He thinks: what would my lieutenant do if our situations were reversed? If I’d called out _Red!_ and stopped our play?  
Hux reaches for the blanket by the side of the sofa and pats his thigh. “Lie down here.”  
Mitaka complies and Hux drapes the blanket over him, rests one hand firmly on his upper arm then pets his hair with the other. The constant stream of soft nonsense and murmured filth Mitaka can conjure up is beyond him, but he can at least do this.

After a few minutes Mitaka’s eyes close. “Can I speak freely?” he asks. “Even if it might upset you and ruin everything?”  
Hux’s hands go still and he considers refusing, but this room is not just his. That’s not what this sanctuary is for. He replies, “Of course.”  
“It’s what you said. _I think I'm in love with you.”_ Mitaka sighs. “You know how I feel about you, sir, and I know you feel less for me than I do for you. I know you can’t be in love with me and I can deal with that as long as...” Mitaka sits up, wraps the blanket around himself like a hug and shakes his head.  
“As long as?”  
Mitaka steals a glance at Hux. The general doesn’t look angry, just a little confused.  
“As long as you don’t rub it in my face.”

Hux gets up to dress while Mitaka watches, cheeks pink and eyes brimming. “What happens now?” Mitaka asks, voice thick. Hux stops for a second, puts down his tunic and kneels in front of him.  
“I don’t know,” he says. “It’s up to you. I did not intend to upset you. If you want us to stop this I will be unhappy, but I will understand. Perhaps you’d like a promotion and a position on _The New Supremacy_ where you won’t have to see me as often.”  
“No,” Mitaka shakes his head. “Don’t send me away.”  
Hux smiles and rests both hands on Mitaka’s knees. “I’m glad you said that. I’d miss you,” he says, leaning forward to kiss Mitaka’s forehead. “You’re my...” Hux bites his lip, unsure whether he knows the words for it. “I look forward to seeing you. Not just here, but when I pass you in the corridor I want to smile although I can’t, and when I know I will see you on the bridge I look forward to it. Ah! You’re cheering up!”

Mitaka dries his face, sits back and holds out one corner of the blanket. Hux sits in the warm space beside him, dressed only in his leggings and vest. After a minute, Mitaka says quietly, “May I ask a rather personal question?”  
Hux laughs. “I think you have earned the right to ask whatever you like. But only in here.”  
“Well,” Mitaka leans forwards to let Hux slip an arm around his back, then leans against his shoulder. “It’s just... have you ever been in love? With anyone? What did it feel like?”  
“I never gave it any thought,” says Hux. “I suppose I never have.”  
“I see,” Mitaka says. “Why do you suppose that is?”  
“Well, I...” Hux frowns. “I have read about the drivel others talk when they claim to be enamoured with that special someone and frankly it sickens me! The petty jealousies, the way they lie and manipulate and try to control that other person with... are you laughing at me, officer?”  
Mitaka suppresses his desperately unreal feeling of mirth. “So you say you can’t be in love with me because... because we do not behave like the leading characters in... in romance holonovels?”  
“Well quite!” Hux replies, annoyed. “Do you have a point to all of this nonsense?”  
“I do,” Mitaka says with a smile. He pushes himself up and straddles Hux, kisses him gently. Hux allows it then encourages it, hands slipping behind Mitaka’s back, pulling him closer. Not close enough. He’s never close enough these days.  
Mitaka breaks off and murmurs, “But it doesn’t matter.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> He’s never going to say it the way Mitaka wants, but he does.


End file.
